Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - ICC Evaluation Service, LLC (ICC-ES)

General Questions

The “Application Information” section of this web site contains documents that explain the process in detail.
To keep interested parties informed about proposals for new or revised acceptance criteria, ICC-E sends an e-mail notification when the agenda is set for each Evaluation Committee meeting, and six times a year it posts an agenda on its web site for the alternative process. If you would like to be added to the list of persons notified by e-mail about committee meetings, please contact us at es@icc-es.org. If you would like to be notified about criteria being considered under the alternative process, please click here.
ICC-ES has two methods by which acceptance criteria are approved. Most criteria, as noted above, are subject to public hearings of the Evaluation rules Committee; but criteria falling into selected categories are considered and approved through an alternative acceptance criteria process that includes posting of the proposed criteria to the ICC-ES web site for public comment, and electronic balloting by the Evaluation Committee. In general, the alternative process provides a quicker way to develop and approve simpler items that, in the opinion of ICC-ES management, do not require consideration at Evaluation Committee hearings.
Prior to February 1,2003, there were four different building-product evaluation services in the United States: the National Evaluation Service (NES), BOCA evaluation services (BOCA ES), ICBO Evaluation Service (ICBO ES), and SBCCI Public Safety Testing and Evaluation Services, Inc. (SBCCI PST & ESI). On February 1, 2003, these four “legacy” services combined their operations as ICC Evaluation Service.
The Evaluation Committee is made up of code officials from across the United States who volunteer their time to help ICC-ES. Three times a year, the committee holds public hearings to consider acceptance criteria and other items related to ICC-ES operations. Where code requirements are not clear, ICC-ES may use committee-approved acceptance criteria to perform product evaluations.
ICC-ES evaluation reports are aimed particularly at making it easier for those charged with enforcing code—building officials, building departments, building inspectors in the field—to determine the compliance of products with code. Evaluation reports are also used extensively by architects, engineers, contractors, specifiers, and others in the building industry who have an interest in making sure products and systems meet building-code requirements.
ICC-ES is a nonprofit, limited liability company that does technical evaluations of building products, components, methods, and materials. If it is found that the subject of an evaluation complies with code requirements, then ICC-ES publishes a report to that effect, and makes the report available to the public. ICC-ES evaluation reports are intended mainly to aid agencies that enforce building regulations, by assisting them to determine code compliance. On the other hand, companies that hold evaluation reports find them to be of great value, because their products have been recognized as code-complying by an organization known for its independence, impartiality, and technical expertise.

ICC-ES also has growing programs for evaluation of plumbing, mechanical, and fuel gas products, and of “green” building products.

ICC-ES Building Products Listing Program

The listing will include important product information, the applicable standards, and references to the relevant sections of the International Codes.
The International Code Council (ICC) has a membership of 50,000 building professionals, of which 15,000 are code officials. As a subsidiary of the Code Council, with expert knowledge of the I-Codes^®, an ICC-ES approval gives code officials peace of mind that products can be safely approved for installation.Other benefits are:
- Accelerated time to market on account of the efficient ICC-ES listing process.
- The high quality of the listing reports.
- A listing report from an entity that is accredited by both the American National Standards Institute and the Standards Council of Canada.
The listing program covers specific products which may meet consensus standards. Moreover, the program covers only specific aspects of the product as outlined in the standard and specific related code sections. The ICC-ES product evaluation process, on the other hand, is specifically formulated to address innovative products where code requirements are not clear and national consensus standards do not apply. Moreover, evaluation reports cover all aspects of the product, from components to installation.

ICC-ES Evaluation Reports

Information regarding fees is available upon request.
For products subject to regular, ongoing follow-up inspections, the required number of inspections is noted in the approved quality documentation. For products that do not require regular ongoing inspections, there must be a qualifying inspection of the manufacturing facility before the evaluation report is issued, and an annual follow-up inspection thereafter.
An acceptance criteria is developed when an application is received for an ICC-ES report on a product that is an alternative to what is specified in the code, and there is no existing criteria that would apply to the product. Acceptance criteria may also be developed when the codes are not clear in a particular area or on specific issues related to a product; when industry raises concerns regarding report requirements; or when a new criteria is deemed necessary by the report applicant, ICC-ES staff, or the ICC-ES Evaluation Committee.

Click here for current acceptance criteria.

Legacy Reports

Any legacy report that appears on the ICC-ES web site is a valid report.
ICC-ES notifies report holders of the need to renew their legacy report prior to its expiration date. Should a report holder wish to renew a legacy report without change or with editorial change only, ICC-ES rules allow this. On the other hand, should a technical change to the report be desired or necessary, an application for a new ICC-ES report (or conversion of the legacy report to an ICC-ES report) is required, and all rules and procedures of ICC-ES apply.
A legacy report is an evaluation report that was originally issued by BOCA ES, ICBO ES, NES or SBCCI PST & ESI, and that was in good standing at the time these organizations came together to form ICC-ES; or may be an evaluation report issued as a result of an application received by one of the above-noted organizations prior to March 1, 2003, with the application being approved by March 1, 2004.

Testing Laboratories and Inspection Agencies

You may contact either organization. To reach ICC-ES, you may contact Michael Temesvary, Director of Sales and Partnerships, at (800) 423-6587, ext. 3877, Dawn LaFleur-Qualley, Director of Plumbing, Mechanical and Gas (PMG), at (800) 423-6587, ext. 3772 or you may contact our Connect+ Customer Care department at (800) 423-6587, ext. 1.