Which U.S. States Adopt State vs Local Building Codes

These states follow the adoption of building codes at a state level but require local municipalities to adopt various amendments. This means that the state decides on the codebook being adopted, but local cities and counties are expected to make various amendments to the state building code that reflects each municipality's unique geographical and weather situations. This usually occurs in states where there are varying climate zones and altitudes within one state. 

One example of this situation is in Utah. A home in Cache County, Utah, outside of Paradise, Utah in the north of the state is required by the county to install an ice and water shield. On the other end of the spectrum, the city of St. George, Utah does not have a history of ice damming and therefore does not require ice and water shield on the eaves of residential roofs in their area. However, both municipalities still follow the state building code adopted by the State of Utah. 

States that have adopted building codes at a state level, but require local municipalities to adopt various amendments, include Arkansas, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia.

If a contractor or adjuster were to run these projects manually, meaning they would call the city or county to figure out which codes or amendments are adopted by that municipality, they would be given a “yes” or “no” related to the installation requirement of an ice and water shield. But, they would still need Table R301.2(1) to back up their information. There is now a resource for contractors and adjusters to use that provides the evidence they need to complement their estimates.

We have spoken with numerous contractors saying that they don't need services like OneClick Code because their state is a "State Code State" and then they reference the above states. This lends itself to having the wrong information on an estimate because each city and county within these states could have a different amendment than the next! States that have local amendments to state codes require more documentation than others to "prove" their accuracy. The states in this section need to be treated like - what we are calling - "local code states". See below to learn what "Local Code States" are.

There are 16 states that follow building code adoption at a local level, meaning it is up to each individual city and county within these states to adopt and enforce a specific building code. These states are the most challenging when it comes to gathering building codes because a house right down the street from another can require different codes which can directly impact a roofing estimate by more than 25 percent! Jurisdiction is the most important factor when it comes to creating a roofing estimate, but is often the most overlooked piece of the puzzle.

States that follow the adoption of building codes at a local level include Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming.

Every property in the U.S. is given a U.S. Postal Address. This address, though a good identifier of location, does not dictate jurisdiction over the property. Let's say that again, a property address does not give you the correct jurisdiction for a property. Forty percent of residences across the U.S. are located in an unincorporated part of a county, but still receive a city name in their postal address.

Proceed with caution if one claims that they "know" the code because jurisdictional boundaries are invisible and arbitrary and can change regularly within growing cities. So how does a contractor or adjuster find the jurisdiction that has authority to issue building permits over a property? Well, now they can use OneClick Code, the first-ever company to automate building code data for the roofing industry.