Woodson - 2009 international building code need to know : the 20% of the code you need 80% of the time

2009 INTERNATIONAL
BUILDING CODE
NEED TO KNOW

R. Dodge Woodson has written more than 100 non-fiction books. He is a licensed general contractor and a licensed master plumber who has built as many as 60 single-family homes a year. Woodson is a well-known remodeling contractor, plumbing contractor, and business owner. Additionally, Woodson is accredited as an expert witness and serves as a consultant on construction and plumbing litigations. He lives in Brunswick, Maine.

The 20% of the Code You Need 80% of the Time

R. Dodge Woodson

Copyright 2009 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

ISBN: 978-0-07-159258-1

MHID: 0-07-159258-X

The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: ISBN: 978-0-07-159257-4, MHID: 0-07-159257-1.

All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners. Rather than put a trademark symbol after every occurrence of a trademarked name, we use names in an editorial fashion only, and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringement of the trademark. Where such designations appear in this book, they have been printed with initial caps.

McGraw-Hill eBooks are available at special quantity discounts to use as premiums and sales promotions, or for use in corporate training programs. To contact a representative please e-mail us at bulksales@mcgraw-hill.com.

Although every effort has been made to make the explanation of the Code accurate, neither the Publisher nor the Author assumes any liability for damages that may result from the use of the 2009 International Building Code Need To Know.

Information contained in this work has been obtained by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (McGraw-Hill) from sources believed to be reliable. However, neither McGraw-Hill nor its authors guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information published herein, and neither McGraw-Hill nor its authors shall be responsible for any errors, omissions, or damages arising out of use of this information. This work is published with the understanding that McGraw-Hill and its authors are supplying information but are not attempting to render engineering or other professional services. If such services are required, the assistance of an appropriate professional should be sought.

TERMS OF USE

This is a copyrighted work and The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (McGraw-Hill) and its licensors reserve all rights in and to the work. Use of this work is subject to these terms. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act of 1976 and the right to store and retrieve one copy of the work, you may not decompile, disassemble, reverse engineer, reproduce, modify, create derivative works based upon, transmit, distribute, disseminate, sell, publish or sublicense the work or any part of it without McGraw-Hills prior consent. You may use the work for your own noncommercial and personal use; any other use of the work is strictly prohibited. Your right to use the work may be terminated if you fail to comply with these terms.

THE WORK IS PROVIDED "AS IS." McGRAW-HILL AND ITS LICENSORS MAKE NO GUARANTEES OR WARRANTIES AS TO THE ACCURACY, ADEQUACY OR COMPLETENESS OF OR RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED FROM USING THE WORK, INCLUDING ANY INFORMATION THAT CAN BE ACCESSED THROUGH THE WORK VIA HYPERLINK OR OTHERWISE, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. McGraw-Hill and its licensors do not warrant or guarantee that the functions contained in the work will meet your requirements or that its operation will be uninterrupted or error free. Neither McGraw-Hill nor its licensors shall be liable to you or anyone else for any inaccuracy, error or omission, regardless of cause, in the work or for any damages resulting there from. McGraw-Hill has no responsibility for the content of any information accessed through the work. Under no circumstances shall McGraw-Hill and/or its licensors be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, punitive, consequential or similar damages that result from the use of or inability to use the work, even if any of them has been advised of the possibility of such damages. This limitation of liability shall apply to any claim or cause whatsoever whether such claim or cause arises in contract, tort or otherwise.

Dedication
This book is dedicated to my daughter, Afton. She graduated magna cum laude this year with two majors and a minor at the age of 20. Afton begins work on her masters degree later this summer. I have many accomplishments in my life, but my children Afton and Adam are by far my two greatest accomplishments.

.

This book is your guide to getting your code questions answered with less stress. It is your ticket to simplifying the cryptic code that you work with on a daily basis. The code is large and can be complicated. Ive translated the code into easy-to-use terms for people in the field. See the code as a real-world guide instead of some foreign language that only some people can begin to sift through. This is your chance.

How important is understanding the code? It is essential for professionals in the trade. Building without code compliance is an expensive mistake. Many good builders and contractors mean well and still stray from the code. This is often due to the code being difficult to understand and follow. Not anymore. This book will walk you through the code requirements chapter by chapter.

Laid out in the same basic sequence as the code book, this book can be used in conjunction with your code book. While this book is not a replacement for your code book, it is a strong enhancement to it. Use the books together as resources to make your job or your business more productive.

Thumb through the pages here. Notice the tip boxes. You will find that some key components of the code are highlighted in the tip boxes. Go ahead, take a peek. While you are at it, pick a few topics that you are either familiar with or confused about, and look them up. See for yourself how easy this book makes it to put your mind at ease on code issues.

You might find another book that attempts to do what this one does, but if you are looking for one guide to the code that you can trust, this is it.

I would like to thank the International Code Council, Inc. for its cooperation and permission to reprint certain illustrations and tables.

2009 INTERNATIONAL
BUILDING CODE
NEED TO KNOW

Structures or portions of structures need to be classified in regards to the occupancy of one or more groups. A room or space that is intended to be occupied at different times for different purposes must comply with all of the requirements that are applicable to each of those purposes. These structures that you have identified as having multiple uses, or occupancies, must comply with the code book. You may have questions about a structure that is proposed for a purpose that is not found in the code book. In this event, each structure must be classified in the group that the occupancy most nearly resembles, according to the fire safety and hazard involved. The 2009 International Code Book lists ten categories or groups that a structure or portion of a structure must be classified as. You will find clarification on these classifications as we go through this chapter.