On February 18, 2022, Congressman Ted Deutch (D-FL) and Darrell Issa (R-CA) introduced bipartisan legislation – the Protecting and Enhancing Public Access to Codes Act – that will ensure that codes and standards developing organizations (SDOs) retain copyright for codes adopted or incorporated by reference into law, as long as they are made freely viewable online. Supported by a broad coalition of SDOs, this legislation will protect the system of codes and standards, including the International Codes (I-Codes), which create the safest and most sustainable and resilient buildings and communities in the world. The federal government, along with state, tribal, and territorial governments, rely on the I-Codes to advance important policies, such as reducing extreme weather risk, protecting building occupant health, and furthering climate change goals.

For more than a century, model codes and standards created by non-profit SDOs have served to protect public health, safety, and security; constituted a backbone of commerce; provided the building blocks for innovation; and served as the basis for quality and interoperability. The I-Codes are developed by the Code Council in conjunction with government and private entities. This system of code development provides the highest level of safety in the world and the integrity of the codes and standards depends on the protection of this system. These protections have been challenged in recent years by for-profit companies selling unpermitted copies of codes and standards the Code Council and other SDOs have developed.