In the U.S. , a lot of folks that are in rural areas may think that they don’t have any building codes where they live. Well, the truth is, that there certainly is code in most places in the country. What they are really lacking is regulation. 

While freedom from building codes may seem great, it can sometimes be a sort of double edged sword and can sometimes be a disadvantage/ something to be wary of. 

Why , How, & Where are building and fire codes

Some states adopt and enforce from a state level, and some states have code adoption on a localized county or city level.  Usually this is seen as an adoption of the model International (IBC, IFC, etc…) codes

Some rural counties may have model building code adopted, but may lack the enforcement. This is not always necessarily intended, but often due to a lack of staffing, and a large area to cover. 

Implications of not following codes

Insurance often requires businesses to be built and operated to codes & laws. If there is any incident (i.e. a fire), you may be held responsible and not be able to claim your insurance. 

Regardless of insurance, nobody wants their building to burn down or have some sort of accident. As a building and/or business owner, you must always be mitigating your risks. Designing a code compliant building is one of the most important factors. 

There’s also the possibility that your jurisdiction may have plan review / permitting systems in place, but may lack the knowledge to properly review and understand the complexities of the code. Especially when it comes to distilleries. If an incident/ accident happens, and it was built to permitted drawings, but the design was not compliant with codes…you are still responsible. Building & planning departments have disclaimers on all their permits releasing them from their responsibility. It is still up to you to build a legal building!