Westside Home Builders Association

2009 ICC Code Update
Construction Codes are initially adopted at the National level - mainly through the International Codes Council (ICC) although some are adopted by National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) on a 3 year cycle. There are eight mandatory codes in Georgia authorized by the Uniform Codes Act - O.G.C.A 8-2-1 through 31, to include the International Residential Code (IRC). The IRC is of primary importance to the home building industry although the plumbing, mechanical, electric and energy codes affect the industry as well. When the codes that are adopted at the National level come to Georgia for consideration, the following process takes place: (1) DCA Construction Codes Division appoints a task force made up of experts in that field (usually seven people) to review the code and make recommendations for adoption along with any suggestions for amendments. Usually at least two members of a task force are from the State Codes Advisory Committee. (2) Recommendations of the task force(s) go the State Codes Advisory Committee (SCAC) for their consideration. The SCAC can accept, reject, modify or add to the recommendations of the task force. It takes a super-majority vote of the SCAC -- eleven votes -- to move their recommendations forward. (3) A public hearing on recommendations of the SCAC is held, usually in September. DCA can call a special meeting of the SCAC or conduct a phone poll if they believe comments received warrant some modifications to the recommendations. DCA can and does forward the comments on to the DCA Board. (4) The DCA Board hears the recommendations of the SCAC, usually at their November Board meeting. The Board can accept or reject the recommendations including specific code sections or amendments. The DCA Board cannot make changes or modifications. If the Board does not accept a recommendation, it goes back to the SCAC. If accepted, the code(s) with any amendments is submitted to the Secretary of State as required by the Administrative Procedures Act. The new editions of the code become effective January 1 of the following year for any permits pulled after January 1 of that year. On January 26, 2010, the State Codes Advisory Committee voted to defer consideration of the updated version of the International Residential Code until the 2012 code cycle. Amendments to the current version of the code (i.e., the 2006 version) can be submitted for consideration by the SCAC in 2011. However, the period for submitting proposed amendments for 2010 has expired.