NFPA’s Building Code Technical Correlating Committee has voted to release the draft of the NFPA 5000, the first building code to be developed using the ANSI open consensus process. Publication of the draft code presents the first of many opportunities for all interested parties to provide input on and participate in the development of NFPA 5000. When finalized, the NFPA Building Code will round out NFPA’s Consensus Codes—a full set of codes for the built environment.

“Publication of the draft is an important step forward in the development of a building code that is grounded in true consensus,” said George Miller, NFPA president. “This significant achievement is the result of hard work from NFPA volunteers, representing a wide variety of interests, who serve on the Building Code Technical Correlating Committee. As this process moves ahead, input and active participation from all sources will continue to be essential.”

With the release of the draft building code, NFPA will enter into the next phase of its code development process and will begin accepting public proposals for changes to the draft. Public proposals must be received by NFPA no later than 5:00 p.m. EST/EDST on Nov. 9, 2000. The NFPA Technical Committees will then begin addressing those proposals and will have the opportunity to develop their own proposals in order to ensure that all of the necessary content is in place and that all of the criteria is coordinated. All interested parties may provide input on NFPA 5000 throughout the code development process, which will continue through May of 2002, when the document will be up for vote by the NFPA membership.