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Standards and Codes

• Graphic and Data Standards
• Building Codes

For the City of Pittsburgh Zoning Code see Investigating a Site: Zoning.

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Graphic and Data Standards

These sources provide guidelines for many aspects of the design process:

• American Society for Testing and Materials. ASTM Standards in Building Codes: Specifications, Test Methods, Practices, Classifications, Terminology. 4 vols. 33rd ed. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM, 1996.
  ENGR&SCI REFERENCE TA404.5 .A45 1996

• Americans With Disabilities Act: ADA Home Page (U.S. Department of Justice)
  See especially the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG).

• Architectural Graphic Standards, 11th ed. New York: J. Wiley, 2007.
  HUNT FA-REF-4 TH2031 .A84 2007
  
• Architectural Graphic Standards CD-ROM version 3.0 [CD-ROM]. New York: J. Wiley, 2000.
  HUNT FA-REF-4; HUNT MUS-RESV-4 726.02 R18AR
  A comprehensive source for design data and details. Drawings and other data can be downloaded from the CD-ROM. The CD-ROM is mounted on a PC in the Arts Reference section, and can also be checked out for 24 hours.

• De Chiara, Joseph. Time-Saver Standards for Building Types, 4th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2001.
  HUNT FA-REF-4 NA2760 .D42 2001
  Standards data organized by building type.

• De Chiara, Joseph. Time-Saver Standards for Housing and Residential Development, 2nd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1995.
  HUNT FA-REF-4 NA9051 .T55 1995

• Interior Graphic Standards. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2003.
  HUNT FA-REF-4 TH2031 .M34 2003

• Neufert, Ernst. Architects' Data, 3rd ed. Oxford: Blackwell Science, 2000.
  HUNT FA-REF-4 TH151 .N513 2000
  Standards data organized by building type. With British bias, but useful.

• Pickard, Quentin, ed. The Architects' Handbook. Oxford: Blackwell Science, 2002.
  HUNT FA-REF-4 NA2520 .A67 2002
  Visual and technical information organized by building type. With British bias, but useful.

• Preiser, Wolfgang F. E. Universal Design Handbook. New York : McGraw-Hill, 2001.
  HUNT FA-REF-4 NA2545 .A1 U55 2001
  

• Time-Saver Standards for Architectural Design: Technical Data for Professional Practice, 8th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2005.
  HUNT FA-REF-4 TH151 .T55 2005
  See also other more specialized Time-Saver Standards for building types, housing and residential development, interior design and space planning, site planning, and landscape architecture.

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Building Codes

Building codes are laws that set minimum standards for building remodeling or new building construction. Most cities and states base their laws on the publications of the International Code Council, which are generally published every three years. Most cities and states then add local regulations of their own. To determine which building codes apply to a particular city or state consult:

• First Source: Building Code Library
  Register for full access.
  

• Directory of Building Codes & Regulations. Herndon, Va.: National Conference of States on Building Codes and Standards, 2002.
  HUNT FA-REF-4 KF5701 .Z9 D57 2002

When building or remodeling in the City of Pittsburgh, see:

• Allegheny County Health Department Rules and Regulations: Article XV: Plumbing and Building Drainage

• Important Codes (Bureau of Building Inspection, City of Pittsburgh)
  Indicates which editions of which codes are currently in effect. Also includes a link to the Pittsburgh Code of Ordinances, which consists of regulations that are unique to Pittsburgh. Title Eight addresses fire prevention, Title Nine addresses zoning, Title Ten addresses building, and Title Eleven addresses historic preservation.

Commonly used codes include:

• BOCA National Building Code. Danville, Ill.: Interstate Printers and Publishers , Inc.
  HUNT FA-REF-4 KF5701 .A73 B8

• International Building Code. Falls Church, Va.: International Code Council.
  HUNT FA-REF-4 K3538 .A15 I58

• International Energy Conservation Code. Falls Church, Va.: International Code Council.
  HUNT FA-REF-4 K3538 I5835

• International Fire Code. Falls Church, Va.: International Code Council.
  HUNT FA-REF-4 K3674 .I58

• International Mechanical Code. Country Club Hills, Ill.: Building Officials and Code Administrators International, Inc.
  HUNT FA-REF-4 KF5708 .I55

• International Plumbing Code. Country Club Hills, Ill.: Building Officials and Code Administrators International, Inc.
  HUNT FA-REF-4 K3542 .I58

• International Property Maintenance Code. Country Club Hills, Ill.: International Code Council.
  HUNT FA-REF-4 K3538 .I5847

• International Residential Code: For One- and Two-Family Dwellings. Whittier, Calif.: International Code Council.
  HUNT FA-REF-4 K3538 .I586