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A Brief History of Building Codes

As you might or might not know, our president, Kevin Wallace, is a member of the San Francisco Building Inspection Commission’s Code Advisory Committee. In the future, we will try to bring you the juiciest bits being currently discussed. For now, as an introduction, let’s start with a brief history of building code…

What is generally accepted as the first building code was in the Code of Hammurabi, which specified:

• 229. If a builder builds a house for someone, and does not construct it properly, and the house which he built falls in and kills its owner, then that builder shall be put to death.
• 230. If it kills the son of the owner, the son of that builder shall be put to death.
• 231. If it kills a slave of the owner, then he shall pay, slave for slave, to the owner of the house.

…and so on; you get the idea.

The Bible book of Deuteronomy, chapter 22 verse 8, states:

• "In case you build a new house, you must also make a parapet for your roof, that you may not place bloodguilt upon your house because someone falling might fall from it."

Archeological fragments of Greek and Roman laws give the first evidence of buildings being required to be inspected during construction. For example, the records of a building being constructed by Socrates in 341 BC tell of the specific requirements:

·         "He shall set the joints against each other, fitting, and before inserting the dowels he shall show the architect all the stones to be fitting, and shall set them true and sound and dowel them with iron dowels, two dowels to each stone..."

In 1189 AD, the Mayor of London, Henry Fitz-Elwyne, issued an ordinance known as the "Assize of Buildings. This ordinance was referred to as a "planning act", but contained much on the construction of structures. After the plague and fire consumed much of the city in 1664, Parliament enacted further building regulations reflecting the growth in knowledge of building technology. To enforce these "codes”, surveyors were appointed and empowered with the authority to invoke jail sentences on violators. Perhaps this was the birthplace of the first building inspector.

In early America, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson encouraged the development of building regulations to provide minimum standards that would ensure health and safety. One of the first American building codes, New York's Tenement Housing Act of 1867, required fire escapes on every building and a window in every room. Later guidelines required interior toilets and windows that face outside, not just a hallway.

On a local note, San Francisco got its first “real” Building Code in 1903. It has been steadily expanding ever since! For your chance to hear the latest tidbits regarding the current topics being discussed by the Code Advisory Committee, stay tuned!