When a person is designing a building and its components, should this design be to the level of the current adopted code or to what is the industry standard at the time. Example: the code adopted by the local jurisdiction is the 2000 edition. Here we are in 2017 and there have been significant changes to the code that calls for better protection based of the fact that the older code requirements would not give equal protection to what is known today. Based on these facts, should the designer stick with the code that has been adopted or use the upgraded requirement to meet the new level of knowledge for protection?

Jim Mazerat
Forensic Investigations Group