· The International Building Code (IBC);
· International Residential Code (IRC);
· International Existing Building Code (IEBC);
· International Mechanical Code (IMC);
· International Energy Conservation Code (IECC);
· International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC); and
· Portions of the International Fire Code (IFC).
In addition to review via Governor Baker’s Executive Order (EO) 562, contents of the Ninth Edition was the subject of public hearings convened on March 7, 2017 in Boston and March 28, 2017 in Springfield.
Currently, Ninth Edition amendments are under final, internal legal review. Once completed, the new code will be filed with Secretary of State, who will establish an effective date beginning the concurrency period; likely in late August/early September. During the concurrency period, practitioners may choose to comply with either the current, eighth edition or new ninth edition of the code, without mixing provisions. Regardless of when it may begin, members of the Board of Building Regulations and Standards (BBRS) have declared that the concurrency period will end on January 1, 2018, so the period will be less than the anticipated 6 full months, depending on when the code is filed with the Secretary of State’s Office.
Building permit applications for projects utilizing Eighth Edition code provisions will need to be filed on or before December 30, 2017. Applications received on or after January 1, 2018, where the project has been designed to the Eighth Edition, shall be returned to the applicant. The applicant will either need to revise construction documents to comply with ninth edition standards or seek relief through the Building Code Appeals Board (BCAB).
Due to statutory obligations, the one exception to this message is that the 2015 IECC went into effect on August 12, 2016 as an amendment to the Eighth Edition.
We will continue to provide updated information over the next several weeks as it becomes available. In the interim, it is hoped that this information is helpful.
Sincerely,
Robert Anderson
Division of Professional Licensure
Office of Public Safety and Inspections
Chief of Inspections – Building & Engineering
One Ashburton Place – Room 1301
Boston, MA 02108
Office (617) 826-5268
Cell (617) 593-0086