ICC IRC-2015 – 2015 International Residential Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings

Changes in this edition include:

• Common walls separating townhouses must now be rated for 2 hours when an automatic fire sprinkler system is not installed.
• Remodeling of an existing basement does not trigger the emergency escape and rescue opening requirements unless a new bedroom is created.
• Ramps that do not serve the required egress door are not permitted to have a slope not greater than 1 unit vertical in 8 units horizontal.
• Carbon monoxide alarms now require connection to the house wiring system with battery backup. A carbon monoxide alarm is required in bedrooms where there is a fuel-fired appliance in the bedroom or adjoining bathroom.
• Revised lumber capacities have changed the span lengths for floor joists, ceiling joists and rafters in the prescriptive tables of the IRC.
• New sections and tables provide prescriptive methods for posts, beams, joists and connections in deck construction.
• The girder and header span tables of Chapter 5 have been moved into Chapter 6. Multi-ply and single header tables are combined. A new section describing rimn board headers is added.