This month, the International Code Council celebrates its 15-year anniversary as an international association dedicated to building safety in the U.S. and around the world. With over 100 years of experience, the Code Council has driven the development of the International Codes, a coordinated, modern, efficient set of building codes used in all 50 U.S. states and many other countries.

Formed in 1994 and officially incorporated in 2003 by three legacy organizations – the Building Officials and Code Administrators International, Inc., the International Conference of Building Officials, and the Southern Building Code Congress International, Inc. – the Code Council was founded at the request of the design and construction industry to develop a single set of comprehensive national model codes. Since 2003, the Code Council has brought building safety to the forefront of the national debate through trainings, speaking engagements, conferences, media appearances, public awareness campaigns and more.

“In 1994 our members and stakeholders gave us a mandate – help the U.S. and the world develop a safer built environment that will not stifle economic development or the use of innovative products – and we responded,” said Code Council CEO and CBO Dominic Sims. “Together with our members, our strategic partners and our stakeholders, we have led the charge for safer buildings and more resilient communities. Recent storms, fires and other disasters have highlighted the importance of building safety as we look to the next 15 years.”

“One of our core strengths is our membership of over 64,000 professionals. They come from a wide variety of backgrounds; they are architects, engineers, contractors, government officials and students. After 15 years, their passion for building safety and their work to make our buildings and our communities stronger continues to influence the daily lives of people across the globe,” said Code Council Board President Jay Elbettar.

The Code Council also develops a number of codes and standards, including mechanical, plumbing, structural, resilience, accessibility and green standards, and is accredited by the American National Standards Institute.