City Codes

At their November 14, 2022 meeting the City Council voted to hold public hearings and schedule second reading on December 5, 2022 for the amended codes (links below):

A. Ordinance amending Chapter 12 and Chapter 15 – City’s Building Code; and

B. Ordinance amending Chapter 5, Article I – Fire Department, Section 5.101 – Personnel and Article IX – Adopted Fire Code

The City Inspection Department is hosting an Informational Public Meeting on Nov 21 at 2:30 pm in the movie room at the Community Campus (100 Campus Drive) to discuss the City's amendments to the City Building Code (Chapter 12) and Fire Code (Chapter 5)

TO INCLUDE FOR THE AMENDMENTS TO THE CITY BUILDING CODE, CHAPTER 12:

            The deletion of:

                        Chapter 12, Part I- International Building Code (2015) and Part II- International     Residential Code (2015)

                        Chapter 15, Part I - International Plumbing Code (2015), Part II- International        Mechanical Code (2015), Part III –Fuel Gas Installations (2015), and Part IV-      National Electrical Code (2017) in their entirety.

            Amendments to the City of Portsmouth Building Code, Chapter 12, and the adoption by reference of the updated New Hampshire Building Code, as defined in RSA 155-A:1, IV, local regulations and amendments, including the current edition of the NFPA 70/NEC, a code promulgated by the International Code Conference.

 TO INCLUDE FOR THE AMENDMENTS TO THE CITY FIRE CODE, CHAPTER 5:

            Amendments to Chapter 5, Article I- Fire Department, Section 5.101 – Personnel, and Article IX – Adopted Fire Codes, which includes the adoption of the State Fire Code defined as the Life Safety Code NFPA 101 and the Uniform Fire Code NFPA 1, 2018 editions and  the International Fire Code, 2018 Edition, and local amendments to the International Fire Code.

Copies of these Amendments to Chapter 12, Chapter 15 and Chapter 5 are available at the City Clerk's Office, the Inspections Department and the Portsmouth Public Library. Copies of the updated New Hampshire Building Codes are available at the Inspection Department and the City Clerk’s Office. See also the following links:

Building Code, Chapter 12 (red-lined)

Building Code, Chapter 15 (red-lined)

Revised Building Code, Chapter 12

NH State Building Code Board of Review 

Amended Fire Code, Chapter 5, Article I

Amended Fire Code, Chapter 5, Article IX

National Codes Enforced

As of July 1, 2022 the  New Hampshire Building Code follows the 2018 set of the iCodes, as mandatory minimum codes - therefore these newly adopted more recent editions supersede previously adopted older versions of these iCode. See NH State Building Code Board of Review link above for complete listing.