Breaking the code.

Online resources help find building codes

On the surface, building codes don't seem terribly complex: three model codes -- soon to be replaced by a single, national code-- broken out by region. Sounds simple in theory, until you want the specific requirements for a real project in a real location.

In truth, the model codes are, at best, a starting point. States, counties and cities often add amendments that adjust code requirements to meet local conditions. Some cities, such as Chicago and New York, ignore the model codes and produce codes that are uniquely their own.

And even after you determine written code requirements for a jurisdiction, everything is still open to the interpretation of perhaps more than a dozen local authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs). A building official in one city may interpret the same text in a completely different manner from his or her counterpart in an adjacent city. …