Ask an FPE | Series
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Two buildings. Same city. One is new construction, the other is an existing building renovation. The end result might look similar, but the building and fire code requirements play out differently in each case. In this installment of “Ask an FPE,” Sparc’s President Steven Venditti, P.E., answers frequently asked questions about building and fire codes.
New buildings are subject to current, comprehensive building and fire codes.
In contrast, existing buildings are typically governed by an existing building code, dependent on the jurisdiction in which the project is located.
This distinction is important. The primary intent behind this difference is to prevent building owners from being forced into full, building-wide compliance with modern codes just because they are updating a small section of a property. Often, you are only required to comply with current codes for the specific area in which new work is being done.
At a high level, the path to code compliance for existing buildings depends on:
From there, you can review the applicable codes to determine what you actually need to comply with. Depending on the classification of the work being performed, the requirements for the area of work may be different, including but not limited to:
New construction projects in the U.S. primarily start with two code bodies as their foundation, both published by the International Code Council (ICC):
Some jurisdictions adopt these codes as-is; others modify them for local conditions.
The codes also contain referenced standards, including those issued and updated by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Think of these as the technical specifications that live inside the code. For example:
The standard that applies to your project depends on the edition year that your specific jurisdiction has adopted. For instance, two neighboring counties can be on different editions of the same standard.
While new construction projects work from a clean slate, existing projects must work within physical, historical, and often material or financial constraints that new builds simply don’t face. To account for this reality, many jurisdictions permit existing building projects to reference the International Existing Building Code (IEBC). Some jurisdictions may not have adopted an existing building code, and others may adopt NFPA 1 or NFPA 101 for work in existing buildings or have their own specific rules.
The ICC understands that you can’t always hold a 1920’s office building to the same standard as a building being built from the ground up in 2026. The IEBC’s latest requirements outline the most practical path to achieving compliance, maintaining safety, and ensuring operational continuity without forcing building-wide retrofits.
But this flexibility only works if you know which codes apply to your project specifications, how to decipher the latest regulatory language, and what local inspectors look for.
The IEBC assigns every type of work on an existing building to a specific category:
A different classification can mean an entirely different compliance path. Location also matters. Take New York City as an example: the toughest code environment in the U.S., where there is not currently an existing building code and existing buildings were constructed prior to the adoption of ICC-based codes.
NYC modifies the IBC, the IFC, and several NFPA standards with its own codes and guidelines:
Until recently, the city didn’t formally outline guidelines for the scope of work and alteration pathways for existing buildings. But that all changes in July 2027 when the NYC Existing Building Code (EBC) goes into effect.
If you’re working on an existing building in any of the five boroughs, pay close attention to the codes and classifications that apply to your building, and be prepared to work with the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) and NYC Department of Buildings (NYCDOB) to streamline approvals while new parameters are scheduled to take effect.
Now that we’ve talked about the governing bodies for building and fire codes for new construction versus existing buildings, let’s review different compliance paths you can take.
There are two approaches to building and fire code compliance:
A prescriptive approach to compliance works for a new build with a simple layout. A performance-based approach, however, can be a helpful option for existing buildings with physical constraints, offering more flexibility and cost effectiveness for complex or unique requirements.
In some cases, an existing building might need to comply as if it were new construction.
Let’s say you have an existing building and you’re making an addition or a renovation. The legacy fire alarm system is aging. It’s still functioning but is beyond its useful life and cannot be expanded to accommodate the new area. You have to position new devices and appliances that comply with the current code. But when you try to connect them to the existing panel (the brain of the building’s systems), the AHJ may say: Now that you’re touching the existing panel, the whole system needs to come up to current code. That can mean adding devices in parts of the building where you aren’t doing any other work.
What you scoped as a renovation just became a building-wide fire alarm replacement, and nobody budgeted for it.
Some other common code considerations that might change your project scope of work and budget include:
For multi-phase projects involving specialty systems or work in complex jurisdictions like NYC, mandatory guidance documents may exist outside the published codes and standards. If your team doesn’t know which rules, bulletins or local amendments to accommodate, you may not find out until you’re already deep into design, or worse, construction.
Untangling the complex world of building and fire codes requires planning ahead and consulting with the right people. Get ahead of common pitfalls and ensure you’re compliant with the right codes by bringing on a team that lives in the code every day.
Sparc provides building code and fire protection engineering consulting services for projects across the continental U.S. Our team started moving projects forward in the country’s most demanding code environments, New York City, and now we’re helping project leaders tackle compliance everywhere.
Whether you’re managing a new build, a single-system alteration, or a complex, phased occupancy project, the right time to determine applicable codes is before they become construction problems.
Untangle Code Complexity. Schedule a Call.
This post is intended for educational purposes only. Please refer to the latest ICC, NFPA, and local jurisdictional documents to understand current building and fire code requirements. Consult a licensed fire protection engineer for guidance specific to your project.
Steven Venditti, P.E. President | Sparc
Steven Venditti, P.E., has a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Engineering in Fire Protection Engineering from the University of Maryland. Mr. Venditti is a Professional Engineer (P.E.) licensed in multiple states. He has over 21 years of experience in fire protection engineering, including sprinkler and fire alarm system design, performance-based design of smoke control systems utilizing computer fire modeling, as well as fire investigations, code consulting, and interpretation. He has applied these skills to various facilities, such as office buildings, hotels, assembly spaces, and mixed-use complexes. Mr. Venditti has extensive expertise and knowledge of various codes and design standards, including NFPA, IBC, and local building codes.
