Are You Up To Code?

As a solar installer, understanding the relationship between code makers, code enforcers and the installer gives you a leg up on what your building department expects and can be the difference between passing and failing an inspection – and you also will limit your long term liability for the job.

Wheel of Accountability

We created the Wheel of Accountability as a simple way to illustrate these relationships as they apply to rooftop structures and water-proofing. At the center of our wheel, the AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction) is typically the local building inspector. The AHJ ultimately interprets the building codes and best standards and practices as agreed upon and published by the agencies listed along the circumference of the wheel. The ICC, SMACNA, NRCA and ARMA help provide time-tested, best-practice guidelines for roofing buildings and other enclosed structures. The guidelines are published by the IBC, IRC, SBC and NFPA, and also in manuals compiled by the individual trade groups. These manuals are available for purchase in many places on the web.

ICC and UL provide quality standards and testing methods for product manufacturing compliance. OSHA focuses exclusively on workplace safety and can shut down any job site and fine an installer for unsafe workplace practices. The building inspector (AHJ) can act as the arm of OSHA, and in fact can act on behalf of any one of the parties listed on the wheel.

The roofing manufacturer is a key figure in our Wheel of Accountability because their installation instructions must be followed to the letter to prevent voiding the roof warranty and to limit long term exposure to the owner and contractor.

Here are some of the key players and relevant building codes
in the Wheel of Accountability, with links to their websites:

Associations

NRCA

National Roofing Contractors Association roofing manuals provide time-tested, best-practice guidelines and technical information concerning the materials, design and installation of roof systems. The NRCA derives its information from knowledgeable, practicing roofing contractors located throughout the U.S.
NRCA website

ARMA

The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association represents about 95% of North America's asphalt (bituminous-based) roofing manufacturing companies and their raw material suppliers. ARMA spearheads industry research and development and provides information on modern asphalt roofing materials and practices to building and code officials, regulatory agencies and allied trade groups. Among the many roofing industry manuals ARMA publishes, “The Asphalt Roofing Residential Manual - Design and Application Methods” is a must have for anyone who wants to know how to work on a roof without voiding its warranty.
ARMA website

SMACNA

The Sheet Metal and Air-conditioning Contractors National Association, is devoted to flashing details and exterior metals. They publish the "Architectural Sheet Metal Manual" on a regular basis. First published in 1965, the manual addresses all aspects of flashing and building envelope metals, with an emphasis on preventing building moisture intrusion. The manual contains details and specifications for the vast majority of situations requiring flashings.
SMACNA website

UL

We are asked frequently about Underwriters Laboratories, probably because it plays such an important role in evaluating the electrical elements of a PV solar system. While Quick Mounts do not fall under their purview, UL does evaluate products, components, materials and systems for compliance to specific requirements, and permits acceptable products to carry a UL certification mark, as long as they remain compliant with the standards. UL evaluates products for compliance with specific safety requirements. UL certification does not guarantee the product will perform acceptably or that it is safe under all conditions (such as with product misuse). UL develops its standards to correlate with the requirements of model installation codes, such as the National Electrical Code.
UL website

ICC

The International Code Council (ICC) was established in 1994 as a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing a single set of comprehensive and coordinated national model construction codes out of the three regional codes established early in the 20th century by ICC founders Building Officials and Code Administrators International, Inc. (BOCA), International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO), and Southern Building Code Congress International, Inc. (SBCCI).
ICC website

NFPA

The National Fire Prevention Association is the world's leading advocate of fire prevention and an authoritative source on public safety. The NFPA develops, publishes, and disseminates more than 300 consensus codes and standards intended to minimize the possibility and effects of fire and other risks.
NFPA website

AHJ

In construction, the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) is the governmental agency or sub-agency which regulates the construction process. In most cases, this is the municipality in which the building is located.

Codes

All 50 states and the District of Columbia have adopted the International Building Code (IBC) and International Residential Code as models for their own State Building Codes (SBC). The IBC governs new construction in residential buildings four or more stories high. Amendments vary from state to state based on issues specific to regional and local conditions.

The International Residential Code (IRC), adopted in 46 states and the District of Columbia, creates minimum regulations for one- and two-family dwellings of three stories or less.

These "model" codes form the framework for local fire, building, housing, property maintenance, plumbing, electrical, energy, and mechanical codes.

Below are some of the building codes that apply to the installation of rooftop mounts and PV systems.

IBC

The Authority Having Jurisdiction will almost certainly base their local requirements on some version of the International Building Code. Here are a few paragraphs on waterproofing:

• 1503.2. Flashing shall be installed in such a manner so as to prevent moisture entering the wall and roof through joints in copings, through moisture- permeable materials and at intersections with parapet walls and other penetrations through the roof plane
• 1503.2.1 Flashing shall be installed at wall and roof intersections, at gutters, wherever there is a change in roof slope or direction; and around roof openings. Where flashing is of metal, the metal shall be corrosion resistant with a thickness of not less than 0.019 inch.
• 1506.1 The requirements set forth in this section apply to the application of roof-covering materials specified herein. Roof coverings shall be applied in accordance with this chapter and the manufacturer's installation instructions. Installation of roof coverings shall apply to the applicable provisions of Section 1507
• 1506.2 Compatibility of Materials. Roofs and roof coverings shall be of materials that are compatible with each other and with the building or structure to which the materials are applied.
• 1506.4 Product Identification. Roof covering materials shall be delivered in packages bearing the manufacturers identifying marks and approved testing agency labels required in accordance with Section 1505 Bulk shipments of materials shall be accompanied with the same information issued in the form of a certificate or on a bill of lading by the manufacturer.
• 1507.2.9 Flashings. Flashings for asphalt shingles shall comply with this section. Flashing shall be applied in accordance with this section and the asphalt shingle manufacturer's printed instructions.
• 1507.8.7 At the juncture of the roof and vertical surfaces, flashing and counter flashing shall be provided in accordance with the manufacture's written installation instructions, and where of metal, shall not be less than 0.019 inch (0.48mm) (No, 26 galvanized sheet gage) corrosion- resistant metal...

IRC

The International Residential Code offers guidance on solar systems and reaffirms the importance of following the roofing manufacturer’s instructions on every installation.

Chapter 23 Solar Systems

• M2301.2 Installation: Installation of solar energy systems shall comply with Sections M2301.2.1 through M2301.2.9.
• M2301.2.2 Roof-mounted collectors: The roof shall be constructed to support the loads imposed by roof-mounted solar collectors. Roof-mounted solar collectors that serve as a roof covering shall conform to the requirements for roof coverings in Chapter 9 of this code. Where mounted on or above roof coverings, the collectors and supporting structure shall be constructed of noncombustible materials or fire-retardant-treated wood equivalent to that required for the roof construction.
• M2301.2.7 Roof and wall penetrations: Roof and wall penetrations shall be flashed and sealed in accordance with Chapter 9 of this code to prevent entry of water, rodents and insects.
• R901.1 Scope: The provisions of this chapter shall govern the design, materials, construction and quality of roof assemblies.
• R903.1 General: Roof decks shall be covered with approved roof coverings secured to the building or structure in accordance with the provisions of this chapter. Roof assemblies shall be designed and installed in accordance with this code and the approved manufacturer's installation instructions such that the roof assembly shall serve to protect the building or structure.
• R903.2 Flashing: Flashings shall be installed in a manner that prevents moisture from entering the wall and roof through joints in copings, through moisture permeable materials and at intersections with parapet walls and other penetrations through the roof plane.
• R903.2.1 Locations: Flashings shall be installed at wall and roof slope or direction around roof openings. Where flashing is of metal, the metal shall be corrosion resistant with the thickness of no less than 0,019 inch (0.5 mm) (No. 26 galvanized sheet).
• R905.2.8 Flashing: Flashing for asphalt shingles shall comply with this section.
• R905.2.8.5 Other Flashing: Flashing against a vertical front wall, as well as soil stack, vent pipe and chimney flashing, shall be applied according to the asphalt shingle manufacturer's printed instructions.

SBC

State Building Codes typically adopt language in whole or in part from the International Business Code (IBC), as with the California Building Standards Code of Regulations, Title 24, Section 1503, which advises the use of appropriate flashing in key locations for weather proofing:

• In Section 1503.2 "Flashings shall be installed in such a manner so as to prevent moisture from entering the wall and roof through joints in copings, through moisture permeable materials, and at intersections with parapet walls and other penetrations through the roof plane."
• In Section 1503.2.1 "Flashings shall be installed at wall and roof intersections; wherever there is a change in roof slope or direction; and around roof openings. Where flashing is of metal, the metal shall be corrosion-resistant with a thickness of not less than 0.019 inch (No. 26 galvanized steel)."