Updated 2026-09-07

Building Code Glossary

Dead Loads: Building Code Definition

How the IBC 2009, IRC 2009 define dead loads, where the wording differs, and which chapters depend on the term.

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Last updated September 7, 2026 · Definitions quoted from the 2009 International Codes as transcribed in this site's building-codes collection, with the source chapter linked for each quotation. Usage counts are computed over the chapters hosted here, one copy per code. The [ICC code library](https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes) publishes the current model text and the [ICC adoption maps](https://www.iccsafe.org/advocacy/code-adoption-maps/) show which edition a jurisdiction has adopted; those sources control.

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Direct answer

Dead loads is a defined term in the International Building Code (IBC) 2009, in Structural Design. The code's own words are: “The weight of materials of construction incorporated into the building, including but not limited to walls, floors, roofs, ceilings, stairways, built-in partitions, finishes, cladding and other similarly incorporated architectural and structural items, and the weight of fixed service equipment, such as cranes, plumbing stacks and risers, electrical feeders, heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems and automatic …” The IRC 2009 defines the same term with different wording, so the controlling text depends on which code governs the question in front of you — the comparison below sets the versions side by side. The term is used in 9 chapters of this corpus, most often in Building Planning (IRC 2009), Structural Design (IBC 2009), Wood (IBC 2009). These pages transcribe the 2009 model text; verify the definition against the edition and amendments your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.

Content and cited inputs reviewed by Scott Barrington, Harth founder and architectural technology specialist · Published 2026-09-07 · Updated 2026-09-07.

What does this term mean?

Dead Loads — IBC 2009, Structural Design:

The weight of materials of construction incorporated into the building, including but not limited to walls, floors, roofs, ceilings, stairways, built-in partitions, finishes, cladding and other similarly incorporated architectural and structural items, and the weight of fixed service equipment, such as cranes, plumbing stacks and risers, electrical feeders, heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems and automatic sprinkler systems.

Labeled code-term definition diagram: Dead Loads: Building Code Definition — How the IBC 2009, IRC 2009 define dead loads, where the wording differs, and which chapters depend on the term.

What must be verified before using this guidance?

Two of the I-Codes in this corpus define Dead Loads, and the wording is not identical — read the version that governs your question.

Code	Where it is defined	Definition
IBC 2009	Structural Design	The weight of materials of construction incorporated into the building, including but not limited to walls, floors, roofs, ceilings, stairways, built-in partitions, finishes, cladding and other similarly incorporated architectural and structural items, and the weight of fixed service equipment, such as cranes, plumbing stacks and risers, electrical feeders, heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems and automatic sprinkler systems.
IRC 2009	Definitions	The weight of all materials of construction incorporated into the building, including but not limited to walls, floors, roofs, ceilings, stairways, built-in partitions, finishes, cladding, and other similarly incorporated architectural and structural items, and fixed service equipment.

Where dead loads is used in the code

The term appears in 9 chapters of the 2009 I-Codes hosted here. The chapters that lean on it hardest are the ones to read next.

Chapter	Code	Mentions
Building Planning	IRC 2009	14
Structural Design	IBC 2009	8
Wood	IBC 2009	3
Wall Construction	IRC 2009	2
Definitions	IBC 2009	1
Glass and Glazing	IBC 2009	1
Special Construction	IBC 2009	1
Definitions	IRC 2009	1
Floors	IRC 2009	1

The term in use

How the code actually writes about dead loads, quoted from the 2009 text hosted here:

Average dead loads shall not exceed 15 pounds per square foot (720 Pa) for the combined roof and ceiling assemblies (on a horizontal projection) or 10 pounds per square foot (480 Pa) for floor assemblies, except as further limited by Section R301.2.2.

— IRC 2009 §R301.2.2.2.1

Dead loads are those loads defined in Section 1602.1.

— IBC 2009 §1606.1

Floor/ceiling dead loads shall not exceed 10 pounds per square foot (479 Pa), roof/ceiling dead loads shall not exceed 15 pounds per square foot (718 Pa) and atticlive loads shall not exceed 20 pounds per square foot (958 Pa).

— IRC 2009 §R611.2

The terms dead loads is built out of

The definition above leans on 5 other defined terms. Each carries its own code definition, and a local amendment to any of them changes what dead loads covers:

Service Equipment — IRC 2009: The necessary equipment, usually consisting of a circuit breaker(s) or switch(es) and fuse(s), and their accessories, connected to the load end of the service conductors to a building or other structure, or an otherwise designated area, and intended to constitute …
Automatic — IBC 2009: As applied to fire protection devices, a device or system providing an emergency function without the necessity for human intervention and activated as a result of a predetermined temperature rise, rate of temperature rise or combustion products.
Equipment — IRC 2009: All piping, ducts, vents, control devices and other components of systems other than appliances that are permanently installed and integrated to provide control of environmental conditions for buildings.
Building — IBC 2009: Any structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or occupancy.
Plumbing — IRC 2009: For the purpose of this code, plumbing refers to those installations, repairs, maintenance and alterations regulated by Chapters 25 through 33.

Dead Loads: what to open, and in what order

Every row is a document this term depends on. The ICC code library and the ICC adoption maps cover the middle rows.

Check	Where	Confirmed
Read the definition in the adopted IBC	Structural Design
Read the definition in the adopted IRC	Definitions
Re-check the requirement that uses it	Building Planning (IRC 2009)
Re-check the requirement that uses it	Structural Design (IBC 2009)
Re-check the requirement that uses it	Wood (IBC 2009)
Re-check the requirement that uses it	Wall Construction (IRC 2009)
Confirm the dependent definition	Service Equipment
Confirm the dependent definition	Automatic
Confirm the dependent definition	Equipment
Local amendment to any of the above	Jurisdiction's amendment list

A research aid, not a code determination. The authority having jurisdiction decides which edition and which amendments apply.

Sources and method

Definitions quoted from the 2009 International Codes as transcribed in this site's building-codes collection, with the source chapter linked for each quotation. Usage counts are computed over the chapters hosted here, one copy per code. The ICC code library publishes the current model text and the ICC adoption maps show which edition a jurisdiction has adopted; those sources control.

Source links

Frequently asked questions

What is the code definition of dead loads?

The International Building Code (IBC) 2009 defines it in Structural Design as: “The weight of materials of construction incorporated into the building, including but not limited to walls, floors, roofs, ceilings, stairways, built-in partitions, finishes, cladding and other similarly incorporated architectural and structural items, and the weight of fixed service equipment, such as cranes, plumbing stacks and risers, electrical feeders, heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems and automatic sprinkler systems.” The 2009 model text is reproduced here; the definition that binds your project is the one in the edition your jurisdiction has adopted, as amended locally.

Which parts of the code depend on dead loads?

In this corpus the term is used across 9 chapters, led by Building Planning in the IRC 2009. Those are the sections whose scope moves if the definition is amended locally, so read them together with Chapter 2 rather than on their own.

What is a dead load on a building?

Building is a separate defined term. The IBC 2009 defines it as: “Any structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or occupancy.” That is not the same as dead loads, which the IBC 2009 defines as “The weight of materials of construction incorporated into the building, including but not limited to walls, floors, roofs, ceilings, stairways, built-in partitions, finishes, cladding and other similarly incorporated architectural and structural items, and the weight of fixed service equipment, such …” — read both before applying either, and confirm the wording in the edition your jurisdiction has adopted.

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