For an Alabama project, first confirm it falls under the State Building Code that the Division of Construction Management (DCM) enforces: state buildings and state-funded work, public and private schools, hotels of 15 or more bedrooms, and movie theaters. If it does, check that the code analysis cites the 2021 IBC, IEBC, IPC, IFGC, IMC, and IFC, the 2020 NEC, ASHRAE 90.1-2013 for state-funded work, the 2010 ADA Standards, ICC 500-2020, and NFPA 72-2019, as adopted in Ala. Admin. Code 355-12-1, with the 2024 IBC, IMC, and IFC sections DCM substituted on March 17, 2025 for A2L refrigerants. Other private buildings follow the codes their city or county enforces. AI can flag conflicts; the design professional and DCM decide compliance.
Which Alabama projects does the State Building Code cover?
Ala. Admin. Code 355-12-1-.04 applies the State Building Code only to four kinds of construction: state buildings, meaning all buildings and structures erected or acquired by or on behalf of the State of Alabama or its agencies or instrumentalities; schoolhouses, meaning buildings of the public schools and any private building in which 25 or more persons gather regularly for instruction; hotels, meaning any public inn or lodging house of 15 or more bedrooms in which transient guests are lodged for pay; and movie theaters. Two parts reach further or less far. ASHRAE 90.1-2013 applies only to buildings constructed or remodeled with state appropriated funds or funds of another state instrumentality, and DCM’s accessibility review covers public buildings built in whole or in part with state, county, or municipal funds, with jurisdiction shared with the State Fire Marshal under Code of Alabama section 21-4-6. DCM’s jurisdiction page describes its plan review as covering all work on state-owned property or using state funds, public (including charter) and private schools regardless of funding, public universities, hotels and motels, and movie theaters, and reviewing municipal and county projects for ADA Standards compliance only. Its State Building Code page lists public postsecondary schools instead and says DCM has no jurisdiction over residential property or other commercial property, so confirm a community college or other higher-education project with DCM. For those other buildings, the same page says residential code adoption authority moved from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) to the Home Builders Licensure Board, and commercial energy code authority to the Alabama Licensing Board for General Contractors, on October 1, 2024 under Act 2024-443.
Rule 355-12-1-.01 adopts the 2021 IBC, IEBC, IPC, IFGC, IMC, and IFC, the 2020 NEC, ANSI/ASHRAE/IES 90.1-2013 with exceptions permitted to Sections 6.5.1 (economizers), 8.4.2 (automatic receptacle control), and 8.4.3 (electrical energy monitoring), the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, the DCM Code Supplements, ICC/NSSA 500-2020, and NFPA 72-2019, and says the 2010 ADA Standards supersede the accessibility requirements of the IBC and ANSI A117.1. The rule history shows the 2021 codes taking effect as a rule on April 14, 2022; DCM’s April 11, 2022 bulletin applied them to first-time submittals received on or after July 1, 2022, let projects first submitted earlier finish under the 2015 IBC through January 1, 2023, and required the 2021 codes for every submittal from that date. All checked November 3, 2026.
The latest amendment, published January 31, 2025 and effective March 17, 2025, follows Act 2023-276, which DCM’s September 30, 2024 bulletin says bars the state building code from prohibiting substitute refrigerants that comply with the Clean Air Act. It replaces or adds listed sections of the 2021 IBC, IMC, and IFC with the corresponding 2024 sections, including the flammable gas definition, Group H and hazardous material sections and tables, the refrigeration provisions of IMC Chapter 11, and IFC refrigeration and hazardous material sections, removes several 2021 IMC Chapter 11 sections, and adds ASHRAE 15-2022, ASHRAE 34-2022, ASTM A333-18, UL/CSA 60335-2-40-2022, and UL/CSA 60335-2-89-2021 to the IMC referenced standards. DCM’s code page and its Manual of Procedures Chapter 2 name the added IBC table as Table 414.2.5.4, while the rule text names Table 414.2.5(3); confirm the table with DCM’s Plan Review Division. Rule 355-12-1-.07 adds DCM Code Supplement No. 1, labeling of fire doors and frames installed under NFPA 80, and No. 2, labeling of storm shelter doors, windows, shutters, and impact protective systems tested under ICC 500 Chapter 8, and rule .02 adopts the Access Board’s recommendations for children’s environments as recommendations, not requirements. DCM’s pages list no proposed move to the 2024 codes.
Outside DCM’s categories the state sources are thinner. The Alabama Administrative Code still shows the former Alabama Energy and Residential Codes Board rules in 305-2-4, which call for either the 2015 IECC or ASHRAE 90.1-2013 for commercial buildings from January 1, 2016 and adopt the 2015 IRC with Alabama amendments. DCM says the Home Builders Licensure Board’s new advisory council must present a residential code by October 1, 2025 and the general contractors board’s committee a commercial energy code by December 31, 2025, and the Home Builders Licensure Board’s notice says more information will follow. Ask the city or county building department which building, residential, and energy codes it enforces.
Precedence depends on the project. Rule 355-12-1-.05 says that where the State Building Code, local codes, the Life Safety Code enforced by the State Fire Marshal, or other codes conflict, the most stringent requirement prevails, and that food preparation facilities, private water systems, and sewage disposal systems also need county health department approval. The Manual of Procedures says instead that on state property, including all public schools, only the State Building Code applies, and limits the most-stringent rule to hotels, motels, movie theaters, and private schools. The State Fire Marshal’s rule 482-2-101-.02 adopts the 2021 IFC with Appendices B, C, D, E, and M for projects whose architectural services contract is dated on or after its effective date, and its rule adopting the National Fire Codes was repealed effective January 1, 2023. Confirm with DCM, the State Fire Marshal, and the local building official which code governs a conflict. Rule .06 keeps compliance the responsibility of the primary design professional and the awarding authority, whatever DCM approves.
DCM’s FAQs say submittals are PDFs uploaded to its Engage Portal, with no hard copies; that all work on public and private K-12 school property, even work a booster club pays for, needs DCM review and approval before it starts; that one-for-one HVAC replacements are reviewed, and that lamp, ballast, or fixture replacements are reviewed as lighting alterations with emergency lighting and exit signs shown; and that demolition-only projects need drawings by a licensed design professional. The Manual of Procedures Chapter 3 sets schematic, preliminary, and final submittals, with an optional 65 percent review, waives the first two for small projects of limited scope and for local government projects reviewed for accessibility only, and tells designers to allow 30 days for DCM’s review of each phase. Permit routing is on the Alabama page, and the model codes have their own guides: IBC, IEBC, IMC, IFC, and NFPA 70.
Gather the life safety plan, the funding source, and each discipline’s DCM references
Collect what the Manual of Procedures asks for at each phase. The preliminary set carries a fire protection and life safety plan of each floor with the area of each space, the construction type, fire-rated and mixed-occupancy walls, exit access corridors, tenant separations, horizontal exits, the allowable height, story, area, separation, fire-resistance, and opening-protection checks against the IBC tables it names, the plumbing fixture count, exit and area of refuge signs, the existing building’s data for an addition, the facing walls and fire separation distance to nearby existing buildings, and storm shelter occupant load calculations where they apply. Add the site plan with hydrants, post indicator valves, backflow preventer, fire department connection, accessible route slopes and cross slopes, accessible parking, and any floodplain. The final set adds the vicinity map, roof plan, elevations, sections, details, foundation and structural plans, plumbing, mechanical, fire protection, electrical, and special systems plans, the energy compliance documents, for which DCM accepts COMcheck, and the sealed project manual.
Add the owner and the source of funding, which the schematic submittal must state, the project category under rule 355-12-1-.04, the date of the first DCM submittal, whether any equipment uses a Group A2L refrigerant, whether the project is municipal or county work reviewed for accessibility only, and, for a school, the classroom areas, the tornado storm shelter plan, and DCM Forms B-14, C-17, and B-15 from the storm shelter bulletins. Download the rule from the Alabama Administrative Code and the bulletins from DCM’s Bulletins page.
Trace the State Building Code through the set
| Review question | Sources to compare | Decision to record |
|---|---|---|
| Project category and reviewer | Cover sheet, owner and funding source, DCM jurisdiction page, rule 355-12-1-.04 | Record whether the project is state, school, hotel, or movie theater work under DCM, municipal or county work reviewed by DCM for accessibility only, or a building that only the local department reviews. |
| Code editions | Code analysis, general notes, specifications, rule 355-12-1-.01 | Confirm the 2021 IBC, IEBC, IPC, IFGC, IMC, and IFC and the 2020 NEC are cited, and flag 2015 or 2024 citations other than the 2024 sections the rule substitutes. |
| A2L refrigerant sections | Mechanical schedules, refrigerant and machinery room notes, IMC Chapter 11 references | Where equipment uses a Group A2L refrigerant, check that the notes follow the 2024 IMC, IBC, and IFC sections and referenced standards the rule substitutes, not 2021 sections it replaced or removed. |
| Accessibility basis | Accessibility plans and details, code analysis, funding source | Check that accessible design follows the 2010 ADA Standards, which the rule says supersede the IBC and A117.1 accessibility requirements, and that municipal or county work is sent to DCM for ADA review. |
| Energy standard | COMcheck or energy analysis, envelope, lighting, and mechanical schedules | For state-funded work, confirm ASHRAE 90.1-2013 with only the permitted exceptions and that the analysis comes with the final submittal; for other buildings, record the energy code the reviewer applies. |
| Storm shelters | Tornado storm shelter plan, classroom areas, occupant load calculation, signage, peer review | Confirm the shelter capacity follows the classroom-area method in DCM Bulletins #23-01 and #23-02, the design wind speed appears on the shelter plan and signage, and the peer review is included where Act 2010-746 applies. |
| Rated opening labels and fire alarm | Door and opening schedules, specifications, fire alarm drawings | Check that fire door and shelter opening assemblies are specified with the labels DCM Code Supplements No. 1 and No. 2 require, and that fire alarm documents cite NFPA 72-2019. |
Storm shelter documents continue in the ICC 500 guide, fire door labels in the NFPA 80 guide, alarm and sprinkler sheets in the NFPA 72 guide, the NFPA 13 guide, and the fire sprinkler checklist, accessible details in the 2010 ADA Standards guide, energy documents in the ASHRAE 90.1 guide, plumbing in the IPC guide, fuel gas in the IFGC guide, and the full set in the architectural drawing checklist. Neighbouring state codes are in the Georgia guide, the Tennessee guide, and the Florida guide.
Example: a public school addition with A2L heat pumps
Hypothetical example. A city board of education builds a locally funded two-story classroom addition at an existing public elementary school, with packaged rooftop heat pumps that use a Group A2L refrigerant, and makes its first DCM submittal in October 2026. The code analysis cites the 2021 IBC and IMC, and the mechanical notes cite 2021 IMC Section 1109 for the refrigerant system. The accessibility notes use ICC A117.1-2017 for the toilet rooms and classroom details. The tornado storm shelter is sized from the addition’s occupant load calculated with the IBC occupant load table, the door schedule lists the shelter doors with no label requirement, and the set lists no peer review of the shelter.
The mechanical notes rely on 2021 IMC Section 1109 provisions that Ala. Admin. Code 355-12-1-.01 has replaced with 2024 IMC sections or removed since March 17, 2025. The accessibility notes use ICC A117.1-2017, while the rule says the 2010 ADA Standards supersede the accessibility requirements of the IBC and A117.1. The shelter capacity comes from the IBC occupant load table, while DCM Bulletin #23-01 bases a new Group E addition on its gross classroom area at one student per 30 square feet plus 10 percent for faculty and administration. The door schedule gives the shelter doors no label requirement, while DCM Code Supplement No. 2 requires labels on shelter opening assemblies, and Bulletin #23-02 requires a third-party peer review with the final submittal for public school shelters subject to Act 2010-746. Confirm the refrigerant sections, the accessibility basis, the shelter capacity, and whether the peer review applies.
The mechanical engineer revises the refrigerant notes to the substituted 2024 IMC sections and referenced standards, the architect changes the accessibility basis to the 2010 ADA Standards, recalculates the shelter capacity from the classroom area, and adds the label requirement to the door specification, and the team asks DCM’s Plan Review Division whether Act 2010-746 applies to the addition. The finding is a coordination conflict; DCM decides compliance.
Review an Alabama set with Groundbook
Upload the current drawings and specifications to Groundbook, and state the edition, amendments, and review scope in your instructions. DCM publishes its State Building Code page, bulletins, and Manual of Procedures as free pages and PDFs, and rule 355-12-1 is free on the Alabama Administrative Code site. Upload the rule, the DCM bulletins your project relies on, and the Manual chapters as code files, with the 2021 International Codes, the substituted 2024 sections, the 2020 NEC, ASHRAE 90.1-2013, ICC 500-2020, and NFPA 72-2019 from copies you are licensed to use where the license permits uploading them. See how Groundbook works with local and licensed codes.
Compare the cover sheet, code analysis, life safety plan, and every discipline’s general notes with the architectural, accessibility, structural, plumbing, mechanical, fuel gas, electrical, fire protection, storm shelter, and energy documents. Flag citations to 2015 or 2024 editions of the IBC, IEBC, IPC, IFGC, IMC, or IFC other than the 2024 sections the supplied rule 355-12-1-.01 substitutes, electrical notes not on the 2020 NEC, A2L refrigerant notes that rely on 2021 IMC sections the rule replaced or removed, accessibility details based on ICC A117.1 instead of the 2010 ADA Standards, storm shelter capacity or signage that does not follow the supplied DCM bulletins, and fire door or shelter openings without the labels the DCM Code Supplements require. Use the supplied DCM rule, bulletins, and model codes and cite both sources.
Groundbook compares the set with reference documents you upload, including licensed codes and standards you hold, and links each potential finding to the note or sheet and to the DCM rule, bulletin, or model code. It has no built-in library of licensed codes, runs no calculations, and does not design anything. It does not decide whether a project falls under DCM, which energy code applies, or whether a storm shelter is required; each finding is a question for the responsible design professional.
Document review does not certify compliance, grant DCM approval or a permit, or replace the design professional, DCM’s Plan Review Division, the State Fire Marshal, or the local building official.