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INTRODUCTION – ABOUT THIS BOOK
This edition of the Building Code and Related Excerpts of the Municipal Code of Chicago is organized to allow the building industry to easily locate building code requirements. The code sections have been ordered in an approach similar to the model building code created by the International Code Council (ICC).
The three part numbering system reflecting the title, chapter, and section number of the code section appears in this publication in the same manner as in the full municipal code. For example, code section 13-32-010 is located in the municipal code as title 13, chapter 32, section 010. However, prefix division and subdivision categories reflecting the ICC format have been added to each section. The prefix categories are not part of the Chicago Municipal Code, but have been incorporated for ease of use by the industry.
The divisions are the same as chapters in the International Building Code and the subdivisions are the same as the section categories. The topics covered under each subdivision match the content of the ICC section. Where there were not equivalent topics, additional subdivision numbers were added to accommodate the subjects.
A cream colored tab marks the beginning of each division. A red colored tab marks each subdivision. Within each division the pages are numbered sequentially starting with the division number followed by a dash and the page number, such as D1-4. The numbers on the pages start over at each division (between the cream colored tabs). Each page has the division number and name located at the top of the page and the subdivision number and name at the bottom of the page.
This publication includes the municipal code sections that actually define the building code as well as additional sections which the city staff believes will be useful for the building industry to have readily accessible. The actual definition of the building code appears in title 1, chapter 4, section 090 (h) (§ 1-4-090(h)) as follows:
(h) “Building code” or “building provisions of this Code” means Titles 13 (excepting Chapter 13-72) and 18; Chapters 2-22, 5-4, 7-4, 7-28; Article III of Chapter 11-4; Chapters 15-8, 15-12 and Article I of Chapter 15-16; and all other provisions of this Code establishing or relating to construction, plumbing, heating, electrical, fire prevention, sanitation, zoning or other health and safety standards relating to structures (except to the extent authority for enforcement and administration is conferred exclusively on a department or agency other than the department of buildings or construction and permits or on an officer other than the building commissioner or the executive director of construction and permits;
The entire Municipal Code is available to the public through the publisher's Web site at: