Department HomePage Permit Process & Application Regional & State Appeals Boards Links Property Maintenance & Landlord - Tenant Disputes Ordinances Residential Swimming Pool Regs
The regulation of building construction is not a recent phenomenon. It can be traced through recorded history for over 4000 years. This provides evidence that people have become increasingly aware of their ability to avoid the catastrophic consequences of building construction failure.
The great Babylonian King Hammurabi, in 2000 BC instituted a performance-type code which was based on the simple principle of "an eye for an eye", where the Builder was responsible "in kind" for any damages that occurred due to the failure of the structure. If the son of the Homeowner died as a result of collapse, then the son of the Builder would be sacrificed as restitution.
Archeological fragments of Greek and Roman laws give the first evidence of buildings being required to be inspected during construction. For example, the records of a building being constructed by Socrates in 341 BC tell of the specific requirements:
"He shall set the joints against each other, fitting, and before inserting the dowels he shall show the architect all the stones to be fitting, and shall set them true and sound and dowel them with iron dowels, two dowels to each stone…"
In 1189 AD, the Mayor of London, Henry Fitz-Elwyne, issued an ordinance known as the "Assize of Buildings." This ordinance was referred to as a "planning act, " but contained much on the construction of structures. After the plague and fire consumed much of the city in 1664, Parliament enacted further building regulations reflecting the growth in knowledge of building technology. To enforce these "codes’ surveyors were appointed and empowered with the authority to invoke jail sentences on violators. Perhaps this was the birthplace of the first building inspector.
In early America, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson encouraged the development of building regulations to provide minimum standards that would ensure health and safety. Today, most of the United States is covered by a network of modern building regulations ranging from fire and structural safety to health, security and conservation of energy.
Public safety is not the only byproduct afforded by modern codes. Architects, engineers, contractors and others in the building community can take advantage of the latest technology advances accommodated in these codes with resultant savings to the consumer.
For codes to be effective, an understanding and cooperative relationship must exist between building officials and the groups whom they serve – homeowners, developers, urban planner and designers. Codes must therefore be responsive to governments need to protect the public. They must provide due process for all affected and the must keep pace with the rapidly changing technology which gives birth to innovative ideas.
During the 1900s, model building codes were authored by the code enforcement officials of various communities and organizations with the key assistance from all segments of the building industry. Model codes have now become the central regulatory basis for the administration of building regulatory programs throughout the US. They simply represent a collective undertaking, which shares the cost of code development and maintenance while ensuring uniformity of regulation so that the advantages of technology can be optimized.
With the new millennium, comes the adoption of the International Code Council single family of model codes. This one code approach promises to fulfill the objectives of uniformity of enforcement while keeping up with the ever-changing technology.
