PENNSYLVANIA Uniform Construction Code (UCC)

On December 10, 2009 the Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) approved the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry's regulatory package adopting the 2009 versions of the International Code Council’s family of codes. As a result of this approval, compliance with the 2009 International Codes began January 1, 2010.

The Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code is comprised of the following ICC Codes:

2009 International Building Code
2009 International Residential Code
2009 International Energy Conservation Code
2009 International Plumbing Code
2009 International Mechanical Code
2009 International Fire Code (as referenced in the IBC 2009)
2009 International Existing Building Code
2009 International Fuel Gas Code (LPG requirements per PA Propane and Liquefied Petroleum Gas Act)
2009 International Performance Code for Buildings and Facilities
2009 International Wildland-Urban Interface Code

The 2009 International Building Code references the 2008 National Electrical Code. Also, the 2009 International Residential Code contains Part VIII Electrical Provisions (Chapters 34 through 43), which is a compilation of provisions extracted from the 2008 National Electrical Code® (NEC®), which is produced and copyrighted by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). All Codes were submitted without amendments and therefore include the Arc-Fault Circuit Interrupter, Tamper-Resistant Receptacle, and Residential Fire Sprinkler requirements.

On Wednesday, March 10 2010, Commonwealth Court Judge Johnny J. Butler denied the Pennsylvania Builders Association (PBA) request for a preliminary injunction enjoining the Department from enforcing its regulation adopting the 2009 International Codes, in particular with regard to the requirement for residential sprinklers. The result of this decision is that the 2009 ICC Codes remain in effect in Pennsylvania.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Formula: Selling price of building divided by square feet of heated living space = Price per Square Foot

The price per square foot to build a new house is typically determined by taking the selling price and dividing it by the square feet of heated living space. Therefore do not include in your square feet factor: garage space, unheated space above the garage, porches, attached decks, driveways/walks, nor unheated basement and crawl spaces.

There are many variables that affect the square foot price. For example, when a contractor purports to build a new home for $85.00 per square foot, what you don't know is whether or not the selling price features the best of the material specifications, or even includes the following high-dollar features: domestic water well, sewage, garage, porches, driveway, fences, landscaping, kitchen appliances, heating system type, composition of roof shingles, basement / crawl space, one story or two, etc.

Therefore, as you can see, there really is no way to compare the prices of new homes using the "square foot" method. The price/SF is merely the result of two variable factors and only serves as a gauge to let you know the rough estimate of similarly constructed homes on similar building sites. Imagine if you compared the price of a BMW to the price of a Geo, dividing the price of each by its four wheels. This would give you the price per wheel of the vehicle but that information would not serve much practical use for comparing the differences.