Confirm that the jurisdiction has adopted the IWUIC, which edition, and the fire hazard severity of the site, then trace access, water supply, construction requirements, defensible space, and the vegetation management plan through the site, civil, landscape, and architectural documents. AI can flag conflicts; the designer and the code official decide compliance.
What does the IWUIC cover?
ICC’s preface describes the International Wildland-Urban Interface Code as setting minimum land-use and building requirements for designated wildland-urban interface areas, with prescriptive and performance provisions, to protect life and property from wildfire and from fire spreading between structures and into wildland fuels. ICC states that it is intended to be adopted and used supplemental to the jurisdiction’s adopted building and fire codes. The 2027 edition has chapters on wildland-urban interface areas (3), area requirements for access, water supply, and fire protection plans (4), special building construction regulations (5), fire protection requirements including defensible space and vegetation plans (6), and maintenance (7).
ICC Digital Codes lists the 2027 IWUIC, and ICC’s store lists the print edition for late October. The 2024 IWUIC is also on Digital Codes, and its chapter and appendix numbering differs from 2027. Checked October 6, 2026. Many jurisdictions enforce an earlier edition or their own wildland rules; record the one in force.
Some jurisdictions adopt NFPA’s standard instead, covered in the NFPA 1140 guide, and California writes its own wildland provisions into its codes; see the California Fire Code guide. The base requirements stay in the adopted building and fire codes.
Gather the site, landscape, and envelope documents
Collect the site plan with the hazard designation, fire apparatus access, and water supply, the civil plans with hydrants or tanks, the fire protection plan where the jurisdiction requires one, the landscape plan and vegetation management plan, the architectural elevations, roof plan, wall sections, and details for vents, eaves, decks, and glazing, the sprinkler drawings where required, and the specifications for roofing, siding, vents, and glazing.
The construction requirements depend on the site’s hazard classification. Upload the document that assigns it so every material can be checked against one class.
Connect the hazard class to the drawings
| Review question | Sources to compare | Decision to record |
|---|---|---|
| Adoption and hazard | Code analysis, site plan notes, fire protection plan | Confirm the adopted edition and the site’s hazard classification across documents. |
| Access and water supply | Site plan, civil plans, fire protection plan | Match access roads, turnarounds, hydrants, and tanks between sheets and the plan. |
| Construction class | Elevations, wall sections, roof plan, specifications | Check roofing, siding, vents, eaves, decks, and glazing against the construction class the documents state. |
| Defensible space | Landscape plan, vegetation management plan, site plan | Find plantings, structures, or storage inside areas the plan keeps clear. |
| Sprinklers | Code analysis, sprinkler drawings, specifications | Confirm any sprinkler system the documents require is drawn or deferred. |
| Accessory structures | Site plan, architectural sheets for sheds, decks, and fences | Identify attached or nearby structures with no construction information. |
Use the civil and site checklist for access and grading, the roofing checklist for roof coverings, and the NFPA 13D guide for a house sprinkler system.
Example: vents and decking that do not match the construction class
Hypothetical example. A house in a designated interface area lists its construction class in the code analysis. The wall sections specify standard attic vents, the deck plan specifies a decking product with no fire performance stated, and the landscape plan places a hedge against the house.
The code analysis assigns a construction class, but the vent and decking specified in the wall sections and deck plan do not state the fire performance that class requires, and the landscape plan places a hedge against the house. Please coordinate the vents, decking, and planting with the stated class.
The architect selects vents and decking that match the class and the landscape architect revises the planting. The code official confirms the class and the result.
Review wildland-urban interface drawings with Groundbook
Upload the current drawings and specifications to Groundbook, and state the edition, amendments, and review scope in your instructions. Add the IWUIC 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 code analysis, hazard classification, and fire protection plan with the site plan, civil plans, landscape and vegetation management plans, architectural elevations, roof plan, wall sections, vent, eave, deck, and glazing details, and specifications. Flag materials that do not match the stated construction class, access or water supply that differs between sheets, and plantings inside cleared areas. Use the supplied IWUIC edition and local amendments and cite both sources.
Groundbook links each potential finding to the sheets and documents involved.
Document review does not assign a hazard classification, test materials, or replace the designer, the fire marshal, or the code official.