What the Code *isn’t*

While the Code is a lot of things – there are plenty of other things that it is not; it’s important to distinguish, and also understand where the Code stops, its limitations, and what it is not intended to do.

The Code is not Retroactive: without a doubt – we’ve all heard someone say (or said ourselves) that something wasn’t “Up to Code” – but it’s always been some older bit of construction, and probably said as not meeting our expectations about what “safe” or “would be expected by today’s standards” But that’s just it – something built years and years ago, couldn’t reasonably be expected to meet the same standards as something built today. The Code just doesn’t function in that way; it applies to the time a Building – or part of one – is built – and unless something drastically changes, such as it’s use, current requirements aren’t applicable. There are always exceptions of course – like correcting an unsafe condition – but generally speaking, the Code doesn’t apply backwards.

The Code does not address exceptional work: Remember when we said before that the Code is a minimum guideline? The flip side of that, is there is no metric or mechanism in the Code to evaluate doing better than the bare minimum. I’ve often heard builders talk about “over engineering” something – or about how something was very much “over built” – but in truth, there isn’t really a way to measure that. Does having a 5 foot wide corridor make you 20% safer than having a 4 foot wide one? Does doubling the amount of ways out of your house make it that much more accessible? Because we’re dealing with the threshold for acceptable, we can’t quantify better than Code as really anything other than… well, meeting and exceeding the minimum.

The Code is not a Design Guide: While the Code may tell you all the things that need to be in place, for a space to be accessible, safe, and structurally sound – what it doesn’t tell you is how something should be built; for example – It doesn’t tell you how many lights you should put in a room – just the minimum level of lighting it should have. It doesn’t tell you how your floor finish should look – just outlines the minimum properties of a material being used. It doesn’t tell you to include a break room in an Office Building – just that the number of Occupants is based on the size of the space. Because of this – it’s important to remember that, when reviewing a project, or being asked questions about the Code – The intention is not to tell you what to build, or even how you should build it – only the requirements that need to be met, in order for that Building to be safe, for everyone within it.