Maryland

Addressing Product Innovation, Code Approval and Professional Engineering

The “alternative materials, designs or methods of construction,” found in the building code are often misunderstood, leading to the statement: “I need an ICC report.”

An ANSI 17065 accredited report or P.E. sealed technical evaluation reports, specialty design drawings, “ICC reports”, etc. (section 1704.3.2) shall gain immediate approval, per Maryland (MD) laws. An ANSI 17065 accredited report is equivalent to the generic terms “ICC report,” “ICC evaluation report,” “ICC-ES technical evaluation,” or “ICC-ES Report.”

Over 80 ANSI accredited organizations provide certified product evaluation reports. Each organization complies with the approval requirements of “IBC Section 1703 Approvals.” Section 1703 is adopted into MD law through the MD adoption of the IBC language.

In the context of creating a competitive market, the importance of product innovation and protecting proprietary knowledge and Intellectual Property (IP) is pinnacle to the Maryland concept of free, fair, vigorous and competitive marketplaces. Maryland is very interested in learning about any discrimination taking place in the Maryland markets.

Please contact SBCA if you experience ANSI code compliance or professional engineering denials in the course of doing business.