“The ISPSC
[International
Swimming Pool and
Spa Code] provides a
common source for enforceable code
language that can be adopted by any
state or local authority in the nation.
It’s a one-stop shop for safe and
correct pool and spa construction and
operation,” says Wendy Purser, chair
of the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA)
Code Action Committee (CAC).
The CAC is currently working on
one of its most important charges:
evaluating change requests submitted
by PHTA members and others for
needed modifications to the ISPSC,
and then creating PHTA proposals to
be submitted to the International Code
Council (ICC) during the code revision
process. ICC is at the beginning of
a code revision process for the 2027
I-Codes, the collection of model codes
that ICC maintains and publishes and
that work together to provide a uniform
solution for ensuring safe construction
throughout the built environment.
The ISPSC is the product of a
PHTA partnership with the ICC. That
partnership invests authority for the
management of the ISPSC with PHTA
and a second code action committee
managed by the ICC, the Plumbing,
Mechanical, Fuel Gas Code Action
Committee (PMGCAC). The PHTA CAC
and PMGCAC regularly work together,
especially on proposals that have an
impact on other codes, such as the
International Plumbing Code (IPC),
the International Mechanical Code
(IMC), or the International Building
Code (IBC). That cooperative work
helps ensure that there are fewer
opportunities for conflict between
codes, by considering proposals from
different perspectives and giving the
different Code Action Committees
an opportunity to review new or
updated sections that may impact their
industry’s codes.
The first edition of the ISPSC was
published in 2012 by PHTA (then APSP)
and the ICC. An agreement between the
two organizations fosters cooperation
in the pool and hot tub industry, as
reflected by the cobranding of the PHTA
standards and the ISPSC. Since then,
both groups have continued to develop
and update the published 2015, 2018,
2021, and 2024 editions of the ISPSC.
ISPSC content was initially drawn
from related sections of PHTA
American National Standards Institute
(ANSI) standards, and the PHTA ANSI
standards have since drawn from the
latest edition of the ISPSC for revised
language and requirements. Since the
ISPSC is updated more often than
PHTA ANSI standards, it is often the
most current, polished, and well-reasoned
source for aquatic industry
rules.
ISPSC 2027 REVISION CYCLE
In May 2023, PHTA began to solicit
public comments for change requests
for the 2027 ISPSC. The CAC spent the
next five months reviewing, discussing,
and ultimately deciding whether those
change requests would be submitted
by PHTA. Most of the change requests
received were approved by the CAC to
be included in the PHTA submissions.
PHTA communicated with all those
who submitted public comments about the status of that change request and
the rationale for PHTA’s decision. Those
that were not approved for inclusion
in the PHTA collection of proposals
were informed how they could submit
an individual proposal directly to the
ICC. PHTA staff were available to assist
those who were new to the process,
which can be confusing the first time.
In January 2024, the CAC submitted
all approved proposals to the ICC
for their consideration at the first
Code Action Hearing (CAH) in that
cycle. All proposals submitted by the
deadline were first reviewed by ICC
staff to ensure that they contained the
information needed for a decision to be
made. At the hearing, which took place
in April 2024 in Orlando, Fla., a Code
Development Committee appointed
by the ICC for each code decided the
outcome of each proposal: whether
it would be approved as submitted,
approved as modified, or disapproved.
Those that were approved as modified
had some form of change to their
contents (called floor mods) that
could be submitted at the hearing by
observers, proposers, and members of
the Code Development Committee.
Most of the proposals put forward
by PHTA at that first hearing were
approved by the Code Development
Committee. ISPSC results of CAH #1
can be viewed on the PHTA website,
and a full record of all CAH #1
decisions can be found on the ICC
website.
In response to the CAH #1 Report,
a second round of public comments
was opened for the CAH #2, to be held
in Long Beach, Calif., in late October
2024. For the PHTA ISPSC proposals
that were not approved or for those that
needed some other enhancement or
clarification to the approved proposal,
the CAC deliberated, took decisions,
and, working in conjunction with
PMGCAC, submitted a handful of
public comments for consideration at
CAH #2. The results of CAH #2 will be
published on the ICC website in early
December.
After CAH #2, there will be a
final round of public comments and
hearings in 2025. Those are conducted
by and for government employees,
mostly code officials, to provide their
final approval of the new I-Code
content.
It’s a complicated process with a
lot of hands-on work, but that is the
nature of consensus and deliberative
rulemaking. For the I-Codes and the
ISPSC, the process is indeed the
product.
This article first appeared in the September 2024 issue of AQUA Magazine — the top resource for retailers, builders and service pros in the pool and spa industry. Subscriptions to the print magazine are free to all industry professionals. Click here to subscribe.
