Working with code bodies and standards-setting organizations, the Gypsum Association upholds the very highest product standards and promotes a deep understanding of fire and building code requirements across the design and construction community in the United States and Canada. We are committed to enhancing public safety and advancing consumer satisfaction with member company products.
United States: I-Codes
Building codes protect the public’s health, safety, and welfare by ensuring that all structures are designed and built with safety and resiliency in mind.
Model building codes are developed through a consensus of materials producers, construction industry professionals, code enforcement officials, and subject-matter experts in the fields of design, engineering, and safety. Working together under the leadership of the International Code Council (ICC), this consensus body produces the dominant set of comprehensive, coordinated building codes in the United States. Known as the “I-Codes,” the ICC’s publications address building systems, energy use, and green construction as they apply to multi-family, commercial, and other non-residential structures (International Building Code, or IBC) and one-and-two family houses (International Residential Code, or IRC).
The I-Codes provide a minimum standard for building safety and performance. States, counties, and municipalities draw from the I-Codes, in whole or in part, when crafting or revising building codes and ordinances that best meet the needs of a specific locality. The Gypsum Association contributes to the code development by participating in the process of code revision and development.
Canada: NBC
National Building Code of Canada (NBC) is developed by the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes (CCBFC) and serves as the model building code of Canada. The NBC is adopted, in whole or in part, by provinces and municipalities and other entities that regulate construction. The NBC sets out technical provisions for the design and construction of new buildings and the alteration, change of use and demolition of existing buildings. Developed by the CCBFC, under the aegis of the National Research Council Canada (NRC), the NBC is developed by volunteers with expertise and interest using a consensus-based approach.
Five building codes are issued and maintained by the CCBFC and the NRC. These codes specifically address design, construction and substantial renovation; fire safety, fire protection, and prevention; design and installation of plumbing systems; minimum energy efficiency requirements, and requirements specific to farm buildings.