This is not a question that can really be easily answered here, at least not with the information you have provided so far. Infact I'm surprised this doesn't have the typical Mahalo Professional Answers disclaimer.

There is no real US-Wide Building code. There IS the "International Code Council" set of codes and code books that MANY places adopt. However, many places also customize them, or only utilize parts of them.

ICC codes are heavily copyright protected, and can't effectively be extensively reposted elsewhere, legally in most cases. In addition, building codes are _extremely_ complex, and while you may be able to quote or reference a small part of one or another, or paraphrase what it says, or even say a general rule of thumb, often times there are many issues which may apply based on the very specific situation you are dealing with based on a thousand different variables.

Now, looking at your user page, it seems like you asked a question about getting a tux in Seattle. I don't know if this means you are in Seattle or not.. but if you are, and if this question applies to a building within the city limits of Seattle.

So, here's the page for Seattle's technical codes department... it seems that there are links for a free online readable only version. Otherwise, you need to purchase them. These are for the 2003 and 2006 codes only at this time. http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/Codes/Technical_Codes/Overview/

Depending upon what you are trying to do... this may or may not apply.

Assuming you are indeed in Seattle... if you are trying to check to make sure something with a house you purchased or are planning on purchasing was done right, well, it really depends upon when it was built as to what code was in effect at the time it was built. If you're planning on building something new, or planning on fixing or upgrading something... you may even want to look into the 2009 code, and other things such as USGBC's LEED, and the US Govt's Energy Star ratings, etc., and of course you also need to consult architects and engineers..

Now, once you've gotten quite a thorough read on the local codes that apply to your situation, if the ICC code is indeed the right code for your area and you have specific technical questions you might wish to further inquire in the message boards they have which can be helpful. http://www.iccsafe.org/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi

Of course there is plenty more information on such topics where all that came from.
Source(s):
http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/Codes/Technical_Codes/Overview/
http://www.iccsafe.org/

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