My situation in Puerto Rico is very different from what anyone stateside experiences with building officials. We don't have one. No one looks at what the drawings and documents that are submitted signed and sealed include or omit. You sign a document for the permit application that states that you met all code requirements. This change came about when the permit process became 100% digital.
One time or another I heard or read about an ASCE member receiving pushback from a building official when the member petitioned to use the latest version of ASCE 7.
My point is that an army of professionals gets together over an extended period of time, essentially for free, to prepare a new Standard. When the work is completed, as was the case with ASCE 7-22, the document sits on the shelf for too long waiting for the ICC cycle where it is adopted. The ICC process to adopt includes an insignificant number (0 is more likely) of subject matter experts that will decide about the adoption. It is a slap in the face to all who worked really hard to make it happen. That is my overwhelming reason for the expiration date. The new version is better. It will improve the state of the practice. The sooner the better making it the "law of the practice". It should apply to ACI 318, AISC 360, etc.
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Ricardo Herrera P.E., M.ASCE
ASCE SEI PR PRESIDENT
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San Juan PR
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-28-2025 08:44 AM
From: Jan Harris
Subject: Epiration Date
You are free to start using a new version of a standard whenever you like! Codes are a minimum, standards are generally a consensus of the state of the art at a point in time. To be code-compliant on a particular project you may have to duplicate some effort as in using the new standard and checking against the old standard that is referenced in the code you want to meet. In Virginia, we are almost glacial in adopting a particular version of IBC. We adopted IBC 2021 effective January 18, 2024. For most people there is a one year grace period where building permits can reference the previous code. Up until January 17, 2025 contract documents using IBC 2018 were kosher. State agencies get a lifetime pass-if they have significant design effort using a particular code they can stick with it until their project is built. Another wrinkle in Virginia's adoption of IBC 2021 was that it requires use of ASCE 7-22 instead of the ASCE 7-16. Rumor is this was because ASCE 7-22 has tornado provisions that ASCE 7-16 lacked. For code compliance and likely design contract compliance, it is important to use the standard that goes with the required code. I had an interesting experience as "almost an expert witness" back when specified wind speeds changed from fastest-mile to three-second gust. The delegated-designer/metal building systems supplier took the fastest mile wind speeds from the contract documents and applied them using an ASCE-7 standard written around three second gust wind speeds resulting in significantly smaller wind loads. It was an obvious mismatch between the specified building code and the referenced load standard. I couldn't support the attorney's argument that the contract documents allowed that so they moved on to another "expert".
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Jan Harris P.E., F.ASCE
President
Liberty Engineering, PC
Virginia Beach VA
Original Message:
Sent: 07-24-2025 05:17 PM
From: Ricardo Herrera
Subject: Epiration Date
I think Standards should have an expiration date relative to the availability of a new version of the Standard. The window between new and old should be 6 months. Waiting for ICC adoption makes little sense, particularly with a Standard like ASCE 7.
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Ricardo Herrera P.E., M.ASCE
Lifetime Member and ASCE SEI PR PRESIDENT
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San Juan PR
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