A building code (also building control or building regulations) is a set of rules that specify the standards for

constructed objects such as buildings and nonbuilding structures. Buildings must conform to the code to
obtain planning permission, usually from a local council. The main purpose of building codes is to protect
public health, safety and general welfare as they relate to the construction and occupancy of buildings and
structures. The building code becomes law of a particular jurisdiction when formally enacted by the
appropriate governmental or private authority.
The scope of Republic Act No. 6541 includes design, location, siting, construction, alteration, repair,
conversion, use, occupancy, maintenance, moving, and demolition of both private and public buildings.
One of the main reasons why the National Building Code is created is to ensure public safety. All buildings
must abide to certain principles of construction. All materials that are needed must also be environmental
friendly.
It’s also a must for owners to maintain the orderliness of their properties. Regular maintenance checkis a
must for all buildings to make sure that everything is in tip top shape.
The law also forbids construction in lands or sites that are deemed unsanitary of dangerous. Lands that are
considered dangerous should undergo certain renovations. The law also notes that an individual’s property
should be in safe distance to the following elements: polluted streams or bodies of water, volcanic site, and
any type of land that can be a source of explosion.
The law also defined the characteristics of a dangerous building. These properties usually suffer from poor
structure, unsafe egrees, contributes to pollution, has defects, or have been damages by earthquake or fire.
There are three ways in which an owner can deal with a dangerous building. The first one is that if the
building is redeemable, then the owner has the power to repair it. The second one refers to amount of the
repairing cost. Thos who wish to repair the property shall spend more than 50% of the current to
replacement cost of the building.
The third factor is about those properties that are already a threat to life. The law asks the owner and the
people who use it to vacate the property right away.
Those who are planning on redesigning their properties are also under this law. Again, the code wants
those who are remodeling or redesigning to use good structure and materials.
Building codes are generally intended to be applied by architects, engineers, interior designers,
constructors and regulators but are also used for various purposes by safety inspectors, environmental
scientists, real estate developers, subcontractors, manufacturers of building products and materials,
insurance companies, facility managers, tenants, and others. Codes regulate the design and construction
of structures where adopted into law.
The practice of developing, approving, and enforcing building codes varies considerably among nations. In
some countries building codes are developed by the government agencies or quasi-governmental
standards organizations and then enforced across the country by the central government. Such codes are
known as the national building codes (in a sense they enjoy a mandatory nationwide application).