This Fall, during the final hearings on the 2006 International Building Code (IBC) Detroit, Michigan there were several significant changes that will impact both the life safety and accessibility for persons with disabilities.
The first will require areas of refuge, those safe-havens for wheelchair users located above and below the grade level of a building even [...]

In another important decision, an amendment to a code change proposed by the US Housing and Urban Development (HUD) was passed ensuring that the International Building Code would retain its place as a “safe harbor” for compliance with HUD’s Fair Housing Amendments Act Accessibility Guidelines in its 2006 edition.
“It was important for the department [...]

Currently, Chapter 34 (Existing Buildings) and the International Existing Building Code (IEBC) requires accessible features (i.e., accessible parking, accessible entrance, route to the primary function area) if a building changes from one use group to another (i.e., commercial to residential). As these features could be triggered without any alteration costs, many building owners and [...]

Individual-owned condominium units are required to comply with the IBC’s accessibility requirements when there are four or more units in a building. When there are twenty or more units, 2% of the units are required to comply with the Type A requirements of the IBC’s accessibility-reference standard ANSI A117.1. Type A units mandate [...]