SDO: International Code Council

Primary Contact
Organizational Overview
Scope of Standards Developing Activity
Quick Links
International Activities by Region

Primary Contact

Ed Wirtschoreck
Manager of Standards, Technical Services
4051 W. Flossmoor Road
Country Club Hills, IL 60478
Phone: 708.799.2300 x4317
Fax: 708.799.0320
Website: http://www.iccsafe.org/

Organizational Overview

The International Code Council, a membership association dedicated to building safety and fire prevention, develops the International Codes, model building codes used to construct residential and commercial buildings, including homes and schools. The Code Council also develops standards related to building construction.

Building codes establish minimum requirements necessary to provide safety, guard public health and reduce property losses. Codes provide protection from manmade and natural disasters. They keep construction costs down by establishing uniformity in the construction industry, which allows manufacturers to do business on a larger scale—regionally, nationally or internationally.

The International Codes are the predominant codes used in the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Architects, engineers and developers around the world, in such locations as Macau, United Arab Emirates and Qatar, reference International Codes. The Code Council assists a number of countries on building safety projects, including Mexico, Egypt, Pakistan and Jamaica; has members in more than 50 countries; and serves international chapters in Canada, New Zealand and Kenya.

The Code Council offers a number of services: code-related training for all segments of the construction industry; certification examinations to test professional knowledge of code enforcement and construction; technical support, including plans reviews and technical consulting; and a variety of construction-related products and publications.

ICC-Evaluation Service, a Code Council subsidiary, performs technical evaluations of building products, components, methods and materials, and issues reports on code compliance. Another subsidiary, the International Accreditation Service, accredits testing and calibration laboratories, inspection agencies, building departments, fabricator inspection programs and International Building Code special inspection agencies.

Scope of Standards Developing Activity

The International Code Council develops standards relating to building construction.