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Building Code Documents
Browse our collection building code documents, which provide guidance on the hazard-resistant provisions in the building codes for property owners, engineers, design professionals, building codes officials, and the general public.
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The International Building Code, International Exiting Building Code, International Residential Code and International Code Council 500 can be purchased at the International Code Council.
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The CodeMaster products provide designers with an easy-to-use desk reference that identifies the seismic provisions in the International Building Code as well as the seismic requirements of ASCE/SEI 7. The CodeMaster is a unique and useful laminated guide for designers to make sure that they incorporate the seismic-resistant provisions of these codes and standards.
Subjects addressed include determination of mapped spectral response accelerations; consideration of exceptions to the seismic code requirements; Seismic Design Category determination; consideration of plan and vertical structural irregularities; determination of seismic base shear, redundancy coefficient and seismic load effects; and compliance with drift control requirements. These guides can be purchased from S. K. Ghosh Associates.
FEMA 296, 297, and 298 comprise the Code Compatibility Report and its This checklist guides floodplain managers, building officials, and designers as they compare the requirements of the National Flood Insurance Program to the flood provisions of the 2021 edition of the International Codes and the American Society of Civil Engineers reference standard ASCE 24-14, Flood Resistant Design and Construction.
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These fact sheets summarize the flood-resistant provisions of the 2021 International Codes (I-Codes) and American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) 24-14, Flood Resistant Design and Construction, that are “higher standards” and that are more specific than National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) requirements.
The first fact sheet provides a detailed comparison of NFIP and the I-Code “higher standards.” The second fact sheet provides a summary comparison of the NFIP and more significant I-Code “higher standards.”
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This guide illustrates the similarities and highlights the differences between the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) minimum requirements and the requirements of the International Codes® (I-Codes®) and ASCE 24, Flood Resistant Design and Construction, a standard referenced by the I-Codes. Separate documents for the 2018 I-Codes (ASCE 24-14) and the 2012 I-Codes (ASCE 24-05) use illustrations to highlight some of the key similarities and differences between foundation types, lowest floor elevations, enclosures below elevated buildings and utilities requirements contained within the NFIP and I-Codes for most residential and commercial buildings.
This instructional guidance is for design professionals and building officials to help them determine when a building or other structure is required to be designed to minimum tornado loads and how to calculate design tornado forces. This guide is in accordance with the updated requirements of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) / Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) standard ASCE 7-22, Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures.
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Earthquake-Resistant Design Concepts (PDF)
FEMA P-749 | December 2010
Text-Only Version
This document provides a readily understandable explanation of the intent and requirements of the seismic related building codes and standards that are based on the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) Recommended Seismic Provisions for New Buildings and Other Structures (FEMA P-750). Understanding the basis for the earthquake-resistant provisions contained in the building codes and standards is important to many people outside the technical design community. This publication explains the history and purpose of building regulations in the United States, including a summary of the seismic-resistant provisions found in the current building codes and standards. Among the topics addressed are the national seismic hazard maps developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS); the seismic design maps incorporated in the building codes and standard, as well as an overview of the seismic design procedures contained in the building codes.