scope:

The Code of Standard Practice for Steel Buildings and Bridges, hereafter referred to as the Code, sets forth criteria for the trade practices involved in the design and construction of steel buildings, bridges, and other structures, and shall apply to all projects that involve fabricated structural steel. In the absence of specific instructions to the contrary in the contract documents, the trade practices that are defined in this Code shall govern the fabrication and erection of structural steel. Specific instructions to the contrary shall not violate any provisions of applicable building codes. The contract with the fabricator or erector shall identify by Code section number any specific instructions to the contrary not contained in the design documents or specifications. If specific instructions to the contrary have not been provided as required in this section, the provisions of the Code shall apply as written herein.

Commentary: The practices defined in this Code are the commonly accepted standards of custom and usage for structural steel fabrication and erection, which generally represent the most efficient approach. Some provisions in this Code have been incorporated by reference into the International Building Code; see www.aisc.org/303IBC. These sections include, but are not limited to, (1) requirements for structural design documents and specifications issued for various purposes as defined in Section 3; (2) definition of structural steel as defined in Section 2.1; (3) consideration for initial system imperfections, including fabrication and erection tolerances, as set forth in Section 11; (4) surface preparation and painting requirements as set forth in Section 3; (5) fabricator and erector quality control requirements as set forth in Section 8; and (6) requirements for fabricator and erector approval documents as set forth in Section 4.

Reference is also made herein to AISC Specification for Structural Steel Buildings (ANSI/AISC 360-22) Section A4, which contains requirements for design documents and specifications issued for construction. ANSI/AISC 360 is incorporated by reference into the International Building Code (IBC) and is therefore part of the building code.

The Code is a copyrighted document and has important legal consequences. Its language has been carefully written to apply to the construction of steel buildings, bridges, and other structures. Some projects may warrant specific modifications to Code provision(s) to suit project conditions. In such cases, any modifications to the specific language of the Code should be clearly set forth in the contract documents.

The Code is a balanced, consensus document written in a "party-neutral" manner and should not be modified for the purpose of dictating a commercial advantage. To that end, Section 1.1 requires any specific instructions to the contrary unrelated to design elements (e.g., relating to commercial terms) to include a reference to the specific Code section number. This requirement is intended to ensure that all parties are aware of and specifically agree to specific instructions to the contrary that may work to the advantage of one party and to the disadvantage of another.

Extreme care should be taken to ensure that any modification is written in mandatory code language where applicable and is consistent with all other sections of the Code to result in a unified document. No modifications should be made to any Code section that violates the life safety or serviceability provisions of the applicable building code or results in a commercial advantage for any party that violates the intention of the Code to serve as a fair, balanced consensus document.

A meeting is recommended with the project stakeholders, including the owner's designated representative for construction (ODRC), the owner's designated representative for design (ODRD), the fabricator/erector and other parties, as appropriate, to discuss the scope of the project prior to the design documents and specifications being designated as released for construction as required by Section 3. This meeting can benefit the stakeholders in achieving a common understanding of the responsibilities and expectations of each party. Specifically, a discussion of any instructions to the contrary that modify any provisions of the Code that are applicable to the project and are included as part of the contract with the fabricator/erector should be clearly reviewed among the parties.

It is noted that the Code applies to all projects that involve fabricated structural steel regardless of what delivery method is selected by the owner. Refer to Section 3.2.

This Code is not intended to define a professional standard of care for the owner's designated representative for design; change the duties and responsibilities of the owner, contractor, architect, or structural engineer of record from those set forth in the contract documents; nor assign to the owner, architect, or structural engineer of record any duty or authority to undertake responsibility inconsistent with the provisions of the contract documents.

This Code is not applicable to steel joists or metal building systems, which are addressed by SJI and MBMA, respectively.