ICC Government Relations Chapter Monthly Update – January 2019

ICC Government Relations Chapter Monthly Update – January 2019

Follow @ICC_GR on Twitter for breaking news & announcements throughout the month

Deadline to submit change proposals to the 2021 Group B I-Codes is pushed back to January 14

Due to scheduling complications from the recent holidays, the deadline for the 2021 International Codes Group B code change proposals has been changed from Monday, Jan. 7, 2019, to Monday, Jan. 14, 2019, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific. You can submit changes and participate in discussions on changes by logging in to cdpACCESS. Hearings on Group B proposals are set for:

• April 28 – May 8, 2019 Committee Action Hearing – Albuquerque Convention Center, Albuquerque, N.M. Click here for pre-registration and meetings schedules.
• October 23 – 30, 2019 Public Comment Hearing – Rio Hotel/Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nev.

This year’s code hearings offer ICC members/non-members, code officials, architects, builders, engineers, fire and energy conservation professionals the opportunity to provide input on proposed code changes to the Group B international Codes. The 2021 Group B Codes include:

• Admin: (Chapter 1) of all the I-Codes
• International Building Code® (IBC®) — IBC-S
• International Existing Building Code® (IEBC®)
• International Energy Conservation Code® (IECC®) — IECC-C, IECC-R/IRC-E
• International Green Construction Code® (IgCC®) — (Chapter 1)
• International Residential Code® (IRC®) — IRC-B

New Year’s Day means it’s time to update your ICC voting status to participate during 2019

Whether you attend the hearings or participate online via cdpACCESS, you help to ensure the next generation of I-Codes benefits our communities with safe, sustainable and resilient structures. In order to participate in the Online Assembly Floor Motion Vote that follows the Committee Action Hearings, all ICC Primary Member Representatives must validate their Governmental Member Voting Representatives online by March 29. Check your voting status online today! And to help you stay on top of developments and save time, sign up to receive text message updates about the progress of code change hearings during ICC’s 2019 Committee Action Hearings. Opt-in to receive text messages. Standard text messaging charges may apply. To unsubscribe, text STOP to 77453. For help, text HELP.

ICC membership review and comments sought on Section R602.10.1.2 (2015 IRC) until January 25

A proposed committee interpretation to Section R602.10.1.2 (Offsets along a Braced Wall Line) of the 2015 International Residential Code is available for ICC membership review and comment until January 25. Technical Opinions on codes and standards are an exclusive benefit of ICC Membership.  Committee Interpretations provide technical support and clarification of code text for adopting jurisdictions, design professionals, and members of the construction industry. Read more on the process here.

Home Depot joins as a key sponsor of the 2019 Building Safety Month celebrations across the USA

Code Council members and stake holders, like Home Depot are preparing local events for the 2019 Building Safety Month. With its theme “No Code, No Confidence,” we have expanded our Building Safety Month campaign to all year round. Here are the weekly themes for the month of May:

• Week 1 – (May 1- May 5): Preparing for disasters: Build strong, build smart
• Week 2 – (May 6- May 12): Ensuring a safer future through training and education
• Week 3 – (May 13- May 19): Securing clean, abundant water for all communities
• Week 4 – (May 20- May 26): Construction professionals and homeowners: Partners in safety
• Week 5 – (May 27- May 31): Innovations in building safety

The 2019 campaign poster is now available for download. Join us on social media using the hashtag #BuildingSafety365. Check back here often for updates on the 2019 celebration.

January 15 is the deadline to apply for the ICC Solar Thermal Standard Consensus Committee

The International Code Council is currently accepting applications for the ICC Solar Thermal Standard Consensus Committee. Once appointed, this committee will convene to revise two current ICC solar thermal standards; ICC 900/SRCC 300-2015 Solar Thermal Systems Standard and ICC 901/SRCC 100-2015 Solar Thermal Collector Standard. The committee will be appointed by the ICC Board of Directors. Click here for more information. Application deadline: January 15, 2019.

SAVE THE DATE! June 3-5 are the dates for the 2019 ICC Chapter Leadership Academy in Denver

On June 3-5, 2019, the Code Council will host its fourth annual Chapter Leadership Academy at the Hyatt Regency Tech Center in Denver, Colo.  This highly popular, exclusive event for ICC Chapter leaders focuses on management skills for ICC Chapters. Chapter leaders may use their annual Chapter benefit for either complimentary travel, hotel expenses and registration for the 2019 Chapter Leadership Academy in June or complimentary registration for the 2019 Annual Conference in October.

January 31 is deadline to submit applications for education presentations at 2019 Annual Conference

The Code Council is seeking education presentations for its 2019 Annual Conference Education Sessions and the Building Safety & Design Expo in Las Vegas October 20-23. The first step to present at the Annual Conference is to submit applications by January 31. Step 2 is to submit education presentation materials by May 10. All presentation topics should focus on providing educational and technical information. Education sessions of the ABM should focus on basic or specialized provisions in the I-Codes, including but not limited to fire/life safety, plumbing and mechanical topics and leading-edge innovations in the building industry. Presentations should help to educate attendees about building code compliance, building safety, leadership and building technology. Read more here.

Free download publication explains the urgent need for community resilience and provides examples

You can receive a download copy of “Building Community Resilience through Modern Model Building Codes” which addresses the urgent need for community resilience in the face of repeated major disasters. Provided by the Code Council and the Alliance for National & Community Resilience (ANCR), a 501(c)(3) national coalition of public and private sector stakeholders, this publication provides a comprehensive overview of community resilience, what it entails, and why it’s important. In addition to an extensive literature review, the document provides a number of examples of communities with effective pre-disaster mitigation strategies and outlines code provisions from the International Codes that were put in place to mitigate future risk. Read more here and obtain your free download.

HUD rule change on high value FHA-backed loans expected to save money each year for home buyers

A final rule published recently in the Federal Register by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development removes the requirement that borrowers pay for a 10-year protection plan as a condition for securing FHA-backed loans for new homes with a high loan to value. HUD removed the requirement because of “the significant improvements in building technology and the quality of housing, as well as the adoption of uniform building codes and local jurisdictions’ more stringent enforcement of building codes,” both of which “mitigate HUD’s previous concerns about needing to protect property owners from defects in workmanship and materials.” This will save the roughly 55,000 borrowers likely to be directly affected about $540 per year, according to the Federal Register.

Recent 14-nation network focuses on an official British government review of the tragic Grenfell Fire

The Code Council joins a network of building regulatory officials from 14 different countries, called the Inter-Jurisdictional Regulatory Collaboration Committee (IRCC), twice each year to discuss current global issues in building safety. The second meeting of 2018 took place in early October in The Hague, Netherlands, and included a workshop entitled, “Building Quality — Improving the Compliance to Building Regulations.” The workshop featured a keynote address delivered by Dame Judith Hackitt, chair of the task force that produced the report of England’s Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety, in the wake of the tragic Grenfell Fire. Dame Judith presented a comprehensive overview of the process that her commission undertook to investigate the regulatory system under which this disaster occurred. You can read more about her report and discussion here.

Alaska’s top elected officials praise building codes as preventing far worse damages from earthquake

Recent comments by leading elected officials point to building codes having minimized damages from a massive 7.0 magnitude earthquake that hit Anchorage, Alaska, on November 30th and contributed to a rapid post-disaster recovery. The Alaska earthquake did not result in any collapsed buildings, widespread damage to infrastructure or loss of life, partially due to the strong building codes the state adopts – the International Codes (I-Codes). Comments include:

• Governor Bill Walker praised the state’s building codes while commenting on minor damages to his own home: “Building codes mean something.”
• Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz credited building codes for minimizing structural damage and said, “Considering the scale of earthquake, the extent of damage was relatively small.”
• U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski stated, “We have worked as communities in our state to be prepared for disasters when they should come. We have some of the most stringent building codes in the world, and for the most part, our buildings held up.”
• U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan said, “We were fortunate that there were no deaths…Given how many earthquakes we have had over the years, we have learned a lot. The first thing we learned is about building codes. Fortunately–again, thank God–we had no buildings collapse. We have a lot of structures–homes, businesses, schools–that have severe structural damage, but a collapsing building is where you get a lot of deaths…Strong, strict building codes…[help] to prevent that.”

These results are consistent with several studies that demonstrate that well-enforced building codes help mitigate earthquake risk.

ICC online training events offer live, one-on-one instructor contact without the travel expenses

Live training events are available from any location with an internet connection. Virtual classrooms are different from web sessions. When you join a virtual classroom, you can actually see your instructor and those in the physical classroom and they can see you. A Virtual Classroom is a hybrid learning environment where you participate remotely and experience the same collaboration, instructor interaction and learning benefits as if you were physically in the classroom. According to a recent study done by Training Magazine, 86% of virtual classroom participants rated the experience “just as engaging” or “more engaging than” traditional classroom training. Here are benefits of Virtual Training:

• Saves you money by eliminating travel costs
• Saves you time because you never have to leave your home or office
• Obtain CEUs to apply towards certification renewal
• Gets remote teams training together
• Encourages collaboration among the learning group both virtually and in the physical classroom

See the list of new live training classes at the end of this Chapter Monthly Update.

Deadline is June 30 for executive development program applications to the Emory Rodgers Fellowship 

Completed application materials for the Emory Rodgers Fellowship must be submitted by June 30 to Vice President of Member Services Karla Higgs at khiggs@iccsafe.org for electronic applications or at 900 Montclair Rd., Birmingham, AL 35213 for paper applications. Examples of eligible programs include those hosted by higher education institutions that focus on executive-level training, strategic management, leadership development, or other similar concentrations. Beyond covering program costs, ICC has no involvement in an eligible program’s curriculum or schedule. Emory R. Rodgers devoted more than four decades to the building safety profession and the creation and development of the International Codes. As a leader in the industry and in the Code Council community, he put forth unprecedented efforts in educating and preparing the next generation of building safety professionals.

Recent 2nd Annual PHRC Residential Construction Career Fair photos featured on Facebook page

We thought you might enjoy seeing some of the faces of potential future code officials and leaders in the built environment who participated in the 2nd Annual PHRC Residential Construction Career Fair at Penn State. They are posted on this special Facebook page hosted by the Pennsylvania Housing Research Center (PHRC). PHRC hosted some of the leading residential construction builders, designers, code officials, and material manufacturers to mix and mingle with Penn State architectural and engineering students. For more information on the career fair, contact John M. Eby by email jeby@latwp.org.

‘Best Practices’ submissions sought by the ICC Major Jurisdictions Committee to spotlight innovations

The ICC Major Jurisdiction Committee (MJC) invites major jurisdictions to submit “Best Practices” that your jurisdiction has successfully used in a code administration environment. Best practices are professional procedures that are accepted or prescribed as being correct or most effective. For examples of Best Practices, visit the Best Practices Guide on the MJC website. After review by the MJC Steering Committee, outstanding contributions will be posted as examples of code officials helping one another. All submittals need to be submitted in the same format to simplify the search process. Please review this linked form for your “Best Practices” submission. You can submit your forms via email at mjc@iccsafe.org.  If you have any other comments or questions, submit them to mjc@iccsafe.org.

REPORT: Structurlam cross-laminated timber products are compliant with existing codes, standards

The ICC Evaluation Service (ICC-ES) and the Engineered Wood Association (APA) released their first joint evaluation report for cross-laminated timber products (CLT). This program certifies CLT products for compliance with ICC-ES Acceptance Criteria for Cross-Laminated Timber Panels for Use as Components in Floor and Roof Decks (AC455) and ANSI/APA PRG 320 Standard for Performance-Rated Cross-Laminated Timber. The joint evaluation report, ESR-3631, was issued in September 2018 to Structurlam Mass Timber Corporation for its Structurlam CrossLam CLT panels. Read more here.

GOT PULSE? ICC Senior Director of PMG interviews his former trainee on careers in plumbing

Code Council Senior Director of PMG Resources Lee Clifton appears as the guest host for episode 11 of the ICC Pulse Podcast. Clifton’s former trainee Damon Premer joins for a conversation about building a career in plumbing. Premer has worked in the plumbing trade for 32 years and is a senior project executive at All Area Plumbing in Commerce, Calif. Click here to listen.

Upcoming from the ICC Learning Center: Institutes, training, seminars, webinars, etc.

Online learning is available from the ICC Learning Center. Find course listings you’d like to attend in the Learning Center using the Search function. Single-day training events are an opportunity to focus on topics to ensure your code knowledge stays up to date, with some seminars offering a Virtual Classroom option so you can participate in the event from any location with an internet connection: 

• January 9 – Administration and Adoption
• January 10 – 2015 IPC® Webinar Series Chapters 1, 2, 3
• January 15-22 – Multi Day Virtual Event, Inspector Skills
• January 15 – 2018 IRC® Essentials
• January 16 – Building Planning  Part I
• January 17 – 2015 IPC® Webinar Series Chapters 4, 5, 6
• January 17 – 2018 IBC® Means of Egress
• January 18 – Basic Code Enforcement 
• January 18 – 2018 IPMC® Overview
• January 23 – Building Planning Part II
• January 24 – 2015 IPC® Webinar Series Chapters 7 and 8
• January 30 – Legal Aspects of Code Administration
• January 30 – IRC Chapters 4–10 Part I
• January 31 – 2015 IPC® Webinar Series Chapters 9 and 10
• February 4 – 2015 IPC® Webinar Series Chapters 11-14
• February 6 – Chapters 4–10 Part II
• February 7 – 2016 CBC Essentials
• February 7 – Permit Technicians series Building Department Processes
• February 13 – Existing Buildings
• February 14 – 2016 CRC Essentials
• February 14 – Permit Technicians series Overview of Code Enforcement 
• February 21– Permit Technicians series Simple Plan Review
• February 28 – Permit Technicians series Reading Construction Documents
• March 7 – Permit Technicians series Legal Principles
• March 14 – Permit Technicians series Finding the Answers in the I-Codes®

The following is the updated list of ICC Institutes and other training opportunities across the nation, many of which offer virtual options for those who cannot travel. Find course listings you’d like to attend in the Learning Center using the Search function:

• January 11 at Country Club Hills, Ill., 2018 IRC Wood Wall Bracing Provisions.
• January 16 in Pittsburgh, Penn., Significant Changes from ASCE 7–10 to ASCE 7–16.
• January 18 and 25 at Micro Tek in Chicago, Basic Code Enforcement.
• January 24 in Miami Beach, Fla., Significant Changes from ASCE 7–10 to ASCE 7–16.
• January 28-31, in Brea, Calif., Code Official Institute.
• January 30 at Micro Tek in Chicago, Legal Aspects of Code Administration.
• February 4-8, in Chaska, Minn., Upper Great Plains Region III Educational Institute.
• February 6, in Austin, Texas, Significant Changes from ASCE 7–10 to ASCE 7–16.
• February 11-13 in Portland, Ore., Principles of Building Safety Institute.
• February 15 at Country Club Hills, Ill., Accessibility & Usability: Commercial and Residential.
• February 22 at Country Club Hills, Ill., 2018 IFC® & IBC® Hazardous Materials Provisions.
• March 5 at Charleston, S.C., Significant Changes from ASCE 7–10 to ASCE 7–16.
• March 11-15 at Las Vegas, Nev., EduCode 2019.
• April 15 at Sacramento, Calif., Permit Tech Institute.

Certification Test Academies feature interactive and question-based review for the exam. Students will receive a voucher to take the exam at a later date. Upcoming Academies:

• Available daily, 2015 Permit Technician 14 Study Guide online.
• May 6-8, at Sacramento, Calif., and online, 14 – Permit Technician Certification Test Academy 2015.