If you’re my age or older you probably still remember that catchy Schoolhouse rock song from the 1970s, “I’m just a bill … and I’m sitting here on Capitol Hill,” which I consider to be one of the great educational rhymes of all time!
That same song came to me as I spoke with John Woestman, director of Codes & Regulatory Affairs for the Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association (BHMA) for my article (see page 32) on what it takes to get building code revisions approved, with, of course, a focus on codes relevant to locksmiths working on commercial doors.
As I told John during our call, it is fascinating to see how the sausage is made, so to speak, as there is a ton of time and effort and hard work and diligence on the part of so many people at BHMA behind the scenes to get these proposals together, vetted and introduced, in addition to having the proposed code changes open for public debate and further revision, if needed. Plus, there is time needed once the new code is approved to allow for architects and builders to account for these changes in their plans, whether it is a new office building, or a new school even.
Catchy song aside, thankfully, the code approval process is not a politically driven one, as it can be to get a new bill passed on Capitol Hill, but, nonetheless, the code-revision process is a lengthy one that can take more than three years.
“For the 2027 version of the International Building Code, the International Fire Code, for example, proposals for revisions were due to ICC for their code development process early in January of 2024,” Woestman explains. “And then there were two rounds of public debate this year, in April and November, and then the third round of public debate will occur in April of 2026.”
Woestman has been involved in code development with BHMA for more than 15 years, and his advocacy on behalf of BHMA has resulted in countless revisions and updates to locking arrangements in the means of egress and corresponding requirements in the ICC IBC and IFC, and in NFPA 101.
And although I didn’t get to mention it in the article, more than 80 percent of all manufacturers of builders’ hardware in the U.S. are BHMA members and, together, these companies produce most of the hardware used in the nation’s commercial and institutional buildings. What’s more, BHMA has authored more than 40 commercial and residential standards and sponsors ANSI/BHMA certification programs to help assure the life safety and security for the industry and for homeowners.
The work the folks at BHMA may sometimes go unsung, but it is certainly worthy of such praise.
