Confirm the IRC edition and local amendments, and that the building falls within the residential code’s scope, then trace room uses, egress openings, stairs, framing, and MEP through the plans, sections, and details. AI can flag conflicts; the designer and building official decide compliance.
What does the IRC cover?
ICC describes the International Residential Code as a stand-alone code for one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses within its height limits, covering building, energy, plumbing, mechanical, fuel gas, and electrical provisions in a single source.
ICC publishes the I-Codes as model codes in editions. ICC’s 2024 I-Codes collection includes the IRC, and the ICC IRC overview describes how it is adopted; both were checked on October 1, 2026. States and cities adopt a specific edition, often with amendments, and many still enforce an earlier one. Record the edition and amendments the authority having jurisdiction actually enforces; the newest published edition does not establish local adoption.
Buildings outside the IRC scope go to the IBC. States often adopt their own residential code based on the IRC, such as California’s Residential Code or Oregon’s Residential Specialty Code. Home sprinklers, where required, follow the NFPA 13D guide or the residential code’s own provisions.
Bring the full house set
Collect floor plans, elevations, building sections, stair sections and details, foundation and framing plans, wall bracing information, window and door schedules, energy compliance documents, and the plumbing, mechanical, and electrical plans. Add the site plan where setbacks, grading, or fire separation distance matter.
Residential sets often omit sheets. Record what is missing rather than assuming a condition was reviewed.
Check the house set for consistency
| Review question | Sources to compare | Decision to record |
|---|---|---|
| Code scope | Cover sheet, building description, number of units and stories | Confirm the building is within the residential code scope the designer used. |
| Bedrooms and egress | Floor plans, window schedule, elevations | Match emergency escape openings in bedrooms across plans and schedules. |
| Stairs and guards | Plans, stair sections, details | Reconcile stair geometry, headroom, and guards between sheets. |
| Framing and bracing | Framing plans, bracing plan, sections | Identify spans, headers, or braced walls that differ between documents. |
| Dwelling separation | Townhouse or two-family plans, wall details | Trace separation walls and penetrations through plans and sections. |
| MEP and energy | MEP plans, energy documents, specifications | Match equipment and insulation values across energy and drawing sheets. |
The stair riser and tread calculator checks single stair figures, and the structural checklist covers framing documents.
Example: a basement bedroom without an egress window
Hypothetical example. The revised floor plan labels a basement room as a bedroom, while the window schedule and elevations show only a small high window in that room and no emergency escape opening.
The current floor plan labels this basement room as a bedroom, and the window schedule and elevations show no emergency escape opening for it. Please confirm the room use and coordinate the opening information.
The designer confirms the room use and revises the window and elevation information, or relabels the room. The conflict is a coordination question for the designer and building official.
Review house plans with Groundbook
Upload the current drawings and specifications to Groundbook, and state the code edition, amendments, and review scope in your instructions. Add the applicable IRC from a copy you are licensed to use, where the license permits uploading it, and add the jurisdiction’s published amendments. See how Groundbook works with local and licensed codes.
Compare the floor plans, elevations, sections, window and door schedules, framing, and MEP plans for consistency in room uses, egress openings, stairs, framing, and dwelling separation. Use the supplied IRC edition and local amendments where applicable and cite both sources.
Groundbook links each potential finding to the sheets involved. Verify the room and revision before sending a comment, and list missing sheets separately.
Document review does not perform structural calculations, energy modeling, or inspections, and does not approve a permit.