Confirm which ASCE 7 edition the adopted building code references, then check that the structural general notes state the design criteria and that the same values reach the architectural sheets, equipment supports, and delegated designs such as trusses, cladding, and stairs. AI can flag missing or conflicting criteria; the structural engineer confirms the loads.
What does ASCE 7 cover?
ASCE describes ASCE/SEI 7, Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures, as prescribing design loads for all hazards, including dead, live, soil, flood, tsunami, snow, rain, atmospheric ice, seismic, wind, and fire. ASCE states that it is adopted by reference into the International Building Code, International Existing Building Code, International Residential Code, and NFPA 5000. It sets loads and load combinations; material standards such as ACI 318 and AISC 360 govern how members resist them.
ASCE’s ASCE 7 page identifies ASCE/SEI 7-22 as the current edition and links its supplements. A committee is developing the next edition, ASCE 7-28; no publication date was posted. Checked October 5, 2026. The edition that governs a project is the one the adopted building code references, which may be older than 7-22. Record it from the code analysis and the structural notes.
ASCE’s Hazard Tool looks up design parameters specified in ASCE 7 and ASCE 41 for a site. Values on the drawings should say which edition and which site data they came from. The IBC guide covers the code analysis that names the edition, and Groundbook’s local codes guide shows a published finding where a seismic design category on the structural notes conflicted with the adopted code’s table.
Gather the design criteria and everything that depends on them
Collect the structural general notes with the design criteria, the architectural code analysis with occupancy and use, the geotechnical report, foundation and framing plans, the roof plan with mechanical equipment, photovoltaic arrays, and screens, equipment schedules with weights, and the specifications for delegated designs such as trusses, cold-formed framing, cladding, stairs, and guards.
Delegated designers work only from the criteria the drawings give them. List each delegated item and where its loads are stated.
Trace the design criteria through the set
| Review question | Sources to compare | Decision to record |
|---|---|---|
| Edition | Code analysis, structural notes, delegated design specifications | Confirm one ASCE 7 edition, the one the adopted building code references. |
| Risk category | Architectural code analysis, occupancy, structural notes | Match the risk category to the use the architectural sheets describe. |
| Wind, snow, and seismic data | Structural notes, geotechnical report, site information | Check that each value is stated once, with its source, and agrees across sheets. |
| Floor live loads | Structural notes or load plan, floor plans, room uses | Identify rooms whose use changed after the load plan was drawn. |
| Roof and equipment loads | Roof plan, equipment schedules, PV layout, framing plans | Find equipment, PV zones, or screens the framing notes do not address. |
| Delegated design criteria | Structural notes, specifications, truss and cladding requirements | Confirm each delegated designer receives the loads it must design to. |
Concrete, steel, and wood members continue in the ACI 318, AISC 360, and NDS guides, and the set as a whole in the structural drawing checklist. Guard and handrail loads were the subject of a published finding in the waterfront hotel review, where architectural notes stated a load below the adopted requirement and the structural details referred back to them.
Example: stamped trusses with no loads to design to
Published finding. In Groundbook’s published accessible home addition review, the cover sheet required stamped engineering for manufactured structural components and a wall section named metal plate connected roof trusses, but no ground or roof snow load and no design wind speed or exposure appeared on any of the twelve sheets. A roof elevation also showed a photovoltaic zone whose size and location were still to be determined.
The cover requires stamped truss engineering, and no sheet gives the loads it would be designed to. Print the design loads: ground and roof snow load, ultimate design wind speed and exposure, and a dead-load allowance for the PV zone.
The architect of record sets the loads and the truss supplier’s engineer designs to them. Groundbook did not choose any value; it found that the set never stated them.
Review design criteria with Groundbook
Upload the current drawings and specifications to Groundbook, and state the edition, amendments, and review scope in your instructions. Add the ASCE 7 edition the project uses from a copy you are licensed to use, where the license permits uploading it, and the jurisdiction’s published amendments. See how Groundbook works with local and licensed codes.
Compare the structural design criteria with the code analysis, geotechnical report, floor and roof plans, equipment schedules, and delegated design specifications. Flag missing, conflicting, or edition-mismatched load criteria, and uses or equipment the criteria do not address. Use the supplied ASCE 7 edition and cite both sources.
Groundbook links each potential finding to the sheets involved. Verify the edition and the site-specific values with the engineer of record before sending a comment.
Document review does not calculate loads, determine site hazard values, or check member capacity. Those remain with the structural engineer of record and the building official.