2018 International Building Code

The scope of the International Building Code® (IBC®) includes all buildings except detached one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses up to three stories. 

The 2018 IBC contains many important changes such as:

• Accessory storage spaces of any size are now permitted to be classified as part of the occupancy to which they are accessory.
• New code sections have been introduced addressing medical gas systems and higher education laboratories.
• Use of fire walls to create separate buildings is now limited to only the determination of permissible types of construction based on allowable building area and height.
• Where an elevator hoistway door opens into a fire-resistance-rated corridor, the opening must be protected in a manner to address smoke intrusion into the hoistway.
• The occupant load factor for business uses has been revised to one occupant per 150 square feet.
• Live loads on decks and balconies increase the deck live load to one and one-half times the live load of the area served.
• The minimum lateral load that fire walls are required to resist is five pounds per square foot.
• Wind speed maps updated, including maps for the state of Hawaii. Terminology describing wind speeds has changed again with ultimate design wind speeds now called basic design wind speeds.
• Site soil coefficients now correspond to the newest generation of ground motion attenuation equations (seismic values).
• Five-foot tall wood trusses requiring permanent bracing must have a periodic special inspection to verify that the required bracing has been installed.
• New alternative fastener schedule for construction of mechanically laminated decking is added giving equivalent power-driven fasteners for the 20-penny nail.
• Solid sawn lumber header and girder spans for the exterior bearing walls reduce span lengths to allow #2 Southern Pine design values.