Illinois Subscriber

There's a tremendous difference between a building code recommendation and an ordinance or law enforcement. While the international building code makes many recommendations, not every state or county follows all of those recommendations. Each state/county decides which codes are made a requirement for the local area. It is these codes that the ordinance or law coverage is designed for. For example, an older home has a fire and the home had fuses; the county code now requires all homes to have circuit breakers, and the county will not allow fuses to be put back into the home. The upgrade to fuses is covered by the ordinance or law coverage. The international building code may recommend a particular type of super nifty circuits, but unless the county requires them, the ordinance or law coverage doesn't apply. The same applies to the ice guard; it may be recommended by the international building code, and it may be a wonderful thing, but unless the county or state has made it a building requirement that all builders must adhere to, it isn't covered under ordinance or law.