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Residential Building Codes, Construction Standards, Codes Books, Building Permit Information & Links safety and welfare of the consumer, general public and the owners and occupants of residential buildings regulated by this code." However, it is important to keep in mind that building codes are adopted, modified and enforced by local politicians and government officials.Something else to remember about building codes is the fact that they "are not intended to limit the appropriate use of materials, appliances, equipment or methods of design or construction not specifically prescribed by the code, provided the building official determines that the proposed alternate materials, appliances, equipment or methods of design or construction are at least equivalent of that prescribed in this code..." In other words, you might be able to use alternate construction methods or materials, provided you can prove - to the satisfaction of the building official - that your way is as good or better than what the code book prescribes. Building codes are constantly changing and they can vary by state, county, city, town, and/or borough. In order to learn which codes are being used and how they will affect you and your construction project, contact your local building inspection department, office of planning and zoning, and/or department of permits. You may want to start by calling the most local government body that has jurisdiction over the property where you will be building. They should be able to provide you with specific information about which building codes are currently being used as guidelines in your area. You should also ask for any local changes or modifications that have been adopted by that local jurisdiction. Local boards, councils, and assemblies frequently exclude portions of "standard" codes and/or adopt requirements that are not specifically prescribed in code books. Depending upon other specifics about your project, including but not limited to whether or not you have a well, septic system, sensitive environmental conditions, or public use areas, you may also be subject to state and/or federal requirements. The following links offer additional information about building codes, permits and licenses. State Government Pages - Building codes, business licenses, building permits, contractors licenses, and home improvement licenses are often issued and administered by state agencies. Most state government Web sites follow a standard Internet address format. To find online information in your state, use the following URL (uniform resource locator), substituting the 2 letter abbreviation for the state where you want to find information: http://www.state.md.us County Government Pages - Building codes, business licenses, building permits, contractors licenses, and home improvement licenses are issued and administered by county agencies, as well. County Web sites often use the following URL format, substituting the 2 letter abbreviation for the county and state where you want to find information: http://www.co.ba.md.us Harford County, MD - Department of Inspections, Licenses, and Permits - When do you need a building permit? How much does it cost? What building codes are used? These are some of the common questions answered on this Web site. While the information may not be representative of the requirements in your local jurisdiction, it is a good example of how local government Web sites can provide useful information about the permit process. For those new to working with building codes, the Harford County Codes/Law page provides some insight into just how many different national, state, county, city, and/or town codes and government agencies may have jurisdiction over what you are planning to build - have fun! Code Check - This site features some very handy, spiral bound, laminated building code reference books by Redwood Kardon. They are designed to be easy to use in the field and to hold up well under jobsite conditions. Many builders and building inspectors consider them indispensable. The Web site also contains plenty of specific information about building codes and an area map for model codes. You may preview the books and order them from the publisher, Taunton Press, or you may use the following links to order the books through our affiliation with Amazon.com and save 30 percent of the list price.
Decoding Building Codes - by Paul R. Fisette, Director - Building Materials and Wood Technology, University of Massachusetts. While this particular article is about building codes, Paul specializes in the areas of light-frame construction, energy efficiency, sustainable development, building performance, and materials performance. He frequently contributes articles to various regional and national publications and he has agreed to answer questions from our visitors, but please check his FAQ section first. The Building Oracle - the stated goal of this site is "to provide free access to building code requirements and promote a better understanding of the code minimums which should appear on construction plans." Targeted mostly to architects and commercial construction, there is quite a bit of information about how to submit plans to a building department and conforming to the Uniform Building Code (UBC). Some of it is applicable to residential construction, including a residential check list, which will help you check your plans to be sure they comply with building permit filing requirements.
Note: The 2003 International Codes are now available. However, at the time of this writing, a single, uniform building code is still not a reality in the United States, let alone in the "International" community as the name implies. Simply put, government agencies do not always work as quickly as the private building sector. Even though the three major code organizations (BOCA, ICBO, SBCCI) have all been consolidated into a single building code organization (ICC) most local inspection agencies use building codes that are several years old. So, be sure to check with your local department of permits and licenses to see exactly which building codes -- and their respective revision dates -- are applicable to your specific project. Here are links to some older building code books:
Here are direct links to a few ADA publications:
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