WestCon Tribune

February 2008

Beware of  the New 2007

California Codes!

Presented By: Lonnie Haughton, Richard Avelar & Associates

The 2007 California Building Code (which became effective on January 1, 2008 for virtually all construction within the state) is modeled upon the International Building Code, published by the International Code Council.  All previous editions of the statewide California Building Code (and its predecessor, the State Building Standards Code) were modeled upon the Uniform Building Code (UBC) published by the International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO); however, the final edition of the UBC model was published in 1997 – after which, ICBO completed its merger with Building Officials and Code Administrators International (BOCAI) and Southern Building Code Congress International (SBCCI) to form the nationwide International Code Council (ICC). 

Subsequently, the ICC has published (in 2000, 2003 & 2006) updated editions of the model International Building Code (IBC), which represents the merger into a single nationwide model code of the Uniform Building Code model (published by ICBO) and the National Building Code model (published by BOCAI) and the Standard Building Code model (published by SBCCI).

In short, the 2007 California Building Code (CBC) is modeled upon the 2006 edition of the IBC, which includes many building construction/design requirements that differ greatly from long-standing requirements of past editions of the UBC model, first published in 1927 by Pacific Coast Building Officials.  Similarly dramatic revisions have been made to other new 2007 California codes, including various fire-safety construction requirements within the 2007 California Fire Code that become retroactive (effective 01.01.2008) for many existing buildings.

At our January meeting presentation, Westcon member Lonnie Haughton will report that these striking transformations of the new 2007 California codes from their original ‘West Coast’ code origins encompass far-reaching modifications to the state’s requirements for both new and existing construction.  He will describe some pitfalls of the 2007 California codes that can trap unwary designers, engineers, builders and owners and he will provide general tips and guidance for learning how to survive the legal dangers of this new era.

Lonnie Haughton, a consultant with Richard Avelar & Associates, is one of only nine individuals in California who have achieved the ICC’s Master Code Professional certification.  His recently published studies of building standards and construction codes include a peer-reviewed paper (Qualitative Sampling of the Building Envelope for Water Leakage) in the Journal of ASTM International and an article (Use and Misuse of Historic Building Codes for Injury Trip and Fall Claims) in Defense Comment magazine, published by the Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California and Nevada.

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