2015 - Virginia

1 2015 Virginia Industrialized BuildingSafety RegulationsVirginia Construction CodePart I of the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building CodeEffective September 4, 2018 Cover art by Julia Lange, International code Council, 2015 Virginia CONSTRUCTION code i PREFACE Introduction The Virginia Uniform Statewide Building code (USBC) is a state regulation promulgated by the Virginia Board of Housing and Community Development, a Governor-appointed board, for the purpose of establishing minimum regulations to govern the construction and maintenance of buildings and structures. The provisions of the USBC are based on nationally recognized model building and fire codes published by the International code Council, The model codes are made part of the USBC through a regulatory process known as incorporation by reference.

2 The USBC also contains administrative provisions governing the use of the model codes and establishing requirements for the enforcement of the code by the local building departments and other code enforcement agencies. In keeping with the designations of the USBC used previously, since the 2015 editions of the International Codes are incorporated by reference into this version of the USBC, it is known as the 2015 edition of the USBC. Arrangement The USBC is part of the Virginia Administrative code (VAC), the official compilation of state regulations published under the authority and guidance of the Virginia code Commission. Due to the difference in the section numbering system between the VAC and the model codes incorporated by reference into the USBC, the UBSC utilizes a dual section numbering system.

3 In the USBC, the VAC section numbers are listed first, followed by a section number matching the model code system. In this printing of the USBC, the VAC section numbers are omitted and only the model code numbering system is utilized. The version of the USBC containing both the VAC section numbers and the model code numbering is available from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and may also be accessed through the website of the Virginia code Commission or by subscription to the VAC. Overview The USBC is divided into three stand-alone parts. Part I contains regulations specific to the construction of new buildings and structures and is known as the Virginia Construction code . Part II contains regulations specific to the rehabilitation of existing buildings, including repair, alterations, additions and change of occupancy in existing buildings and structures, and is known as the Virginia Existing Building code .

4 Part III of the USBC contains the regulations for the maintenance of existing structures which is enforced at the option of the local governments. It is known as the Virginia Maintenance code . Codes Purchased from ICC The 2015 edition of the USBC is being made available in pamphlet form as in past editions of the USBC. In addition to the pamphlet form of the USBC published by DHCD, the International code Council (ICC) publishes versions of the Virginia Construction code , Virginia Existing Building code , Virginia Maintenance code and a series of Virginia specific trade codes. In the ICC published versions, marginal markings are provided to distinguish between text which is part of the International Codes and text which is part of the state regulations.

5 Double vertical lines in the margins within the body of the codes indicate state amendments to the International Codes. As in the standard printings of the International Codes, a single vertical line in the margins within the body of the code indicates a technical change from the previous edition of the International Codes. Deletions from the previous editions of the International Codes are indicated in the form of an arrow ( ) in the margin where an entire section, paragraph, exception or table has been deleted or an item in a list of items or a table has been deleted. Technical Assistance The local building departments and enforcing agencies may be contacted for further information concerning the USBC. Contact information for DHCD is below.

6 DHCD, Division of Building and Fire Regulation State Building Codes Office 600 East Main Street, Suite 300 Richmond, Virginia 23219 Phone: (804) 371-7150 Email: Website: 2015 Virginia CONSTRUCTION code ii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 ADMINISTRATION Section 101 General .. 1 102 Purpose and Scope .. 2 103 Application of code .. 4 104 Enforcement, Generally .. 6 105 Local Building Department .. 6 106 Powers and Duties of the Building Official .. 7 107 Fees .. 8 108 Application for Permit .. 8 109 Construction Documents ..11 110 Permits ..12 111 Registered Design Professional Services ..13 112 Workmanship, Materials and Equipment ..13 113 Inspections ..17 114 Stop Work Orders ..19 115 Violations ..19 116 Certificates of Occupancy.

7 20 117 Temporary and Moved Buildings and Structures; Demolition ..21 118 Unsafe Buildings or Structures ..21 119 Appeals ..22 CHAPTER 2 DEFINITIONS ..25 CHAPTER 3 USE AND OCCUPANCY CLASSIFICATION ..29 AMENDMENTS TO THE IRC ..35 CHAPTER 4 SPECIAL DETAILED REQUIREMENTS BASED ON USE AND OCCUPANCY ..77 CHAPTER 7 FIRE AND SMOKE PROTECTION FEATURES ..85 CHAPTER 8 INTERIOR CHAPTER 9 FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEMS .. 89 CHAPTER 10 MEANS OF EGRESS .. 95 CHAPTER 11 ACCESSIBILITY .. 101 CHAPTER 12 INTERIOR ENVIRONMENT .. 103 CHAPTER 13 ENERGY EFFICIENCY .. 105 CHAPTER 14 EXTERIOR WALLS .. 111 CHAPTER 15 ROOF ASSEMBLIES AND ROOFTOP STRUCTURES .. 113 CHAPTER 16 STRUCTURAL DESIGN .. 115 CHAPTER 17 SPECIAL INSPECTIONS AND TESTS .. 117 CHAPTER 18 SOILS AND FOUNDATIONS.

8 119 CHAPTER 23 WOOD .. 121 CHAPTER 26 PLASTIC .. 125 CHAPTER 27 ELECTRICAL .. 127 CHAPTER 28 MECHANICAL SYSTEMS .. 129 CHAPTER 29 PLUMBING SYSTEMS .. 135 CHAPTER 30 ELEVATORS AND CONVEYING SYSTEMS .. 147 CHAPTER 31 SPECIAL CONSTRUCTION.. 149 CHAPTER 33 SAFEGUARDS DURING CONSTRUCTION .. 151 CHAPTER 35 REFERENCED STANDARDS .. 153 2015 Virginia CONSTRUCTION code 1 CHAPTER 1 ADMINISTRATION SECTION 101 GENERAL Short title. The Virginia Uniform Statewide Building code , Part I, Construction, may be cited as the Virginia Construction code or as the VCC. The term USBC shall mean the VCC unless the context in which the term is used clearly indicates it to be an abbreviation for the entire Virginia Uniform Statewide Building code or for a different part of the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building code .

9 Note: This code is also known as the 2015 edition of the USBC due to the use of the 2015 editions of the model codes. Incorporation by reference. Chapters 2 - 35 of the 2015 International Building code , published by the International code Council, Inc., are adopted and incorporated by reference to be an enforceable part of the USBC. The term IBC means the 2015 International Building code , published by the International code Council, Inc. Any codes and standards referenced in the IBC are also considered to be part of the incorporation by reference, except that such codes and standards are used only to the prescribed extent of each such reference. In addition, any provisions of the appendices of the IBC specifically identified to be part of the USBC are also considered to be part of the incorporation by reference.

10 Note 1: The IBC references other International Codes and standards including the following major codes: 2015 International Plumbing code (IPC) 2015 International Mechanical code (IMC) 2014 NFPA 70 2015 International Fuel Gas code (IFGC) 2015 International Energy Conservation code (IECC) 2015 International Residential code (IRC) Note 2: The IRC is applicable to the construction of detached one-family and two-family dwellings and townhouses as set out in Section 310. Numbering system. A dual numbering system is used in the USBC to correlate the numbering system of the Virginia Administrative code with the numbering system of the IBC. IBC numbering system designations are provided in the catchlines of the Virginia Administrative code sections.