WMA Regulatory Affairs Update – May 2025
- Jessica Ferris
- May 16
- 3 min read
ICC Group B Committee Action Hearings
The International Code Council (ICC) held Committee Action Hearings (CAH) for Group B codes in Orlando, FL from April 27 through May 6, 2025. These were the first set of hearings for Group B code proposals to the 2024 edition of the International Codes for the 2027 edition.
Though WMA did not submit any code change proposals to Group B, WMA’s Regulatory Affairs & Standards Development Committee (RASDC) (previously known as the Industry Standards and Certification Committee – ISCC) met by conference call in March to review several pertinent proposals to the IRC specific to exterior door requirements and determined whether WMA action was warranted.
Jessica Ferris, WMA’s Director of Regulatory Affairs & Standards Development, attended the CAH in Orlando to provide testimony on the following proposals based on the RASDC’s determinations
RB112, RB113, & RB114: These similar proposals from different proponents were seeking to add pivoted and balanced doors to the egress door section (Section R318.2) of the IRC. WMA supported these proposals. Ultimately, the IRC committee chose to approve RB113, which also included opening force requirements. WMA testified against adding this additional requirement because of potential ADA issues. The IRC Committee was split in their vote on RB113, but the tie-breaker vote swung it to approval.
RB115 was seeking to add a new “Section R318.2.1 Door Locking” to the egress door section of the IRC which would have required door security locking systems in dwelling and sleeping units as is required in the IPMC (International Property Maintenance Code). WMA opposed this proposal because it does not fall within the scope of the IRC as it does the IPMC. The IRC committee agreed and unanimously disapproved the proposal.
RB205 (also proposed in the IBC as FS14) was seeking to require that doors rated with a Limited Water (LW) rating pursuant to the North American Fenestration Standard (AAMA/WDMA/CSA 101/I.S.2/A440-NAFS) be installed with an overhang that has an overhang-to-height ratio of 1.0. WMA testified in opposition to this proposal because it would require an overhang on all buildings with doors rated to NAFS for LW. The IRC committee disapproved. However, a companion alternative proposal, which WMA remained neutral, RB 206, (also proposed in the IBC as FS15) which requires that LW rated doors be adequately protected from water exposure “as determined by a registered design professional or other approved method” was approved by the committee.
RB304 was the last proposal heard by the IRC Committee, introducing an appendix, “Appendix BP – Physical Security,” to the IRC which would have set forth specific security requirements for entry doors. The proposal specified wood, steel, and fiberglass doors, double doors, sliding doors, door frames, sidelights, and door hardware. WMA testified in opposition to this proposal because of its prescriptiveness and because, like RB115, door security requirements should not fall within the scope of the IRC. The IRC committee agreed and RB304 was disapproved. Previous versions of this proposal had been considered during the last two code development cycles (for the 2021 and 2024 IRC editions) and disapproved both times.
Revisions to the ICC Code Development Process:
This ICC code development cycle for the 2027 edition of the International Codes is the first to implement recent changes to the development process. One key change has been the addition of a second Committee Action Hearing (CAH) for each Code Group. This gives code committees another opportunity to review the original proposals, responses to their initial actions, and any related testimony, so code change proposals undergo more thorough evaluation. Participants can submit comments on proposed changes, and the same committee reviews these comments in light of both their previous decisions and the new information provided. This structure allows for further testimony and discussion based on updated input before the code change moves to the Public Comment Hearing phase.
There is a single Public Comment Hearing (PCH) in the third year for both Group A (heard last year) and B code proposals. The PCH will be followed by a single Online Governmental Consensus Vote (OGCV) for both code groups.
The second CAH for Group B codes will be held in October in Cleveland, Ohio, at the same time and place, interestingly enough, as WMA’s 2025 Convention & Tradeshow.
