The codes are widely used in the United States of America. The system that was established within the dedicated fraternity in the 1900s, is a system of building regulations developed by three regional code groups. The special building codes were developed by the BOCAI or the Building Officials Code Administrators International based in the East Coast and throughout the Mid West regions, the SBCCI or the Southern Building Code Congress International in the South East and the International Conference of Building Officials or ICBO in the West Coast. The special regional International Building Code or IBC has been effectively applied and very responsive to the regulatory demands made by the various local jurisdictions.
By the early 1990s, it was more than obvious that there was the specific need for a single and well co-ordinated model codes acceptable on a national level. The three model code grouping authorities then combined their individual efforts into establishing the International Code Coucil in 1994. The effort and aim was driven towards develop ICC codes that would not be limited by regional restrictions. It took extensive research and three years of dedicated effort towards development before the first edition of the International Building Code was published in 1997. The International Building Code was developed on the basis of the three legacy codes that were previously developed by the BOCAI or the Building Officials Code Administrators International, the SBCCI or the Southern Building Code Congress International and the International Conference of Building Officials or ICBO, the organizations that constitute ICC.