Confirm which ICC 500 edition the adopted code references and whether the shelter is a tornado, hurricane, or combined shelter, then trace its design criteria, envelope, doors and windows, occupant capacity, and supporting systems through the architectural, structural, and MEP drawings and the product approvals. AI can flag conflicts; the designers and code official decide compliance.
What does ICC 500 cover?
ICC describes the ICC/NSSA Standard for the Design and Construction of Storm Shelters as providing minimum design and construction requirements for storm shelters, including design requirements for the main wind-resisting structural system and components.
ICC’s store lists ANSI/ICC 500-2023 as the current edition. ICC’s page for the 2020 standard and commentary states that ICC 500-2020 is referenced in the 2021 IBC and IRC. Checked October 14, 2026. Which edition applies depends on the building code the jurisdiction adopted.
Wind loads for the rest of the building come from the ASCE 7 guide, and the building code basis from the IBC or IRC guide. For school projects, see the K-12 school projects page.
Gather the shelter documents in every discipline
Collect the code analysis identifying the shelter, the shelter plans with occupant capacity, the structural drawings and design criteria for the shelter, the wall, roof, and foundation details, the door, window, and opening schedules with the tested product data, the shelter ventilation, lighting, and power drawings, the sanitation provisions, and the shelter specification sections.
Shelter criteria are often stated only on the structural general notes. Upload every discipline, since doors and openings are where the shelter most often departs from them.
Trace the shelter criteria across disciplines
| Review question | Sources to compare | Decision to record |
|---|---|---|
| Shelter type and edition | Code analysis, structural notes, specifications | Confirm one shelter type and one ICC 500 edition across documents. |
| Shelter boundary | Architectural plans, structural plans, life safety plans | Check every discipline draws the same shelter area. |
| Occupant capacity | Code analysis, shelter plans, signage | Reconcile the stated capacity with the shelter area shown. |
| Envelope | Wall, roof, and foundation details, structural criteria | Confirm the shelter’s walls, roof, and anchorage carry the shelter criteria. |
| Doors, windows, and openings | Opening schedules, product data, details | Check each shelter opening names a product tested for the shelter criteria. |
| Supporting systems | Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing drawings | Find shelter ventilation, lighting, power, and sanitation shown in one discipline only. |
Doors and hardware continue in the steel door specifications guide and the door hardware guide, and structural sheets in the structural drawing checklist.
Example: a shelter door from the standard door schedule
Hypothetical example. The structural notes identify a classroom wing corridor as a tornado shelter with its own design criteria. The door schedule assigns the corridor’s end doors the same hollow metal door type used elsewhere in the school, with no product tested for the shelter criteria.
Doors D114 and D115 open into the designated storm shelter but use the standard door type, and no tested shelter door assembly is scheduled or specified. Confirm the shelter boundary and schedule a door assembly that meets the shelter criteria.
The architect revises the door schedule and specification. Whether a product meets the shelter criteria is shown by its test documentation and decided by the designer and code official.
Review storm shelter documents with Groundbook
Upload the current drawings and specifications to Groundbook, and state the edition, amendments, and review scope in your instructions. Add the ICC 500 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 shelter boundary, type, and occupant capacity across the code analysis, architectural, structural, and life safety plans, then compare the shelter envelope, openings, and supporting systems with the structural criteria, opening schedules, product data, MEP drawings, and specifications. Flag conflicts and openings without tested products. Use the supplied ICC 500 edition and cite both sources.
Groundbook links each potential finding to the sheets and product documents involved. It does not calculate wind or debris loads.
Document review does not design the shelter, evaluate product testing, or replace the structural engineer, architect, or code official.