Building Code Glossary
Detached Building: Building Code Definition
How the IBC 2009, IFC 2009 define detached building, where the wording differs, and which chapters depend on the term.
On this page
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.
Direct answer
Detached building is a defined term in the International Building Code (IBC) 2009, in Special Detailed Requirements Based on Use and Occupancy. The code's own words are: “A separate single-story bUilding, without a basement or crawl space, used for the storage or use of hazardous materials and located an approved distance from all structures.” The IFC 2009 carries the same definition word for word, so the term means the same thing in each. The term is used in 13 chapters of this corpus, most often in Special Detailed Requirements Based on Use and Occupancy (IBC 2009), Hazardous Materials-general Provisions (IFC 2009), General Building Heights and Areas (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?
Detached Building — IBC 2009, Special Detailed Requirements Based on Use and Occupancy:
A separate single-story bUilding, without a basement or crawl space, used for the storage or use of hazardous materials and located an approved distance from all structures.
What must be verified before using this guidance?
Two of the I-Codes in this corpus define Detached Building, in identical words.
| Code | Where it is defined | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| IBC 2009 | Special Detailed Requirements Based on Use and Occupancy | A separate single-story bUilding, without a basement or crawl space, used for the storage or use of hazardous materials and located an approved distance from all structures. |
| IFC 2009 | Hazardous Materials-general Provisions | A separate single-story building, without a basement or crawl space, used for the storage or use of hazardous materials and located an approved distance from all structures. |
Where detached building is used in the code
The term appears in 13 chapters of the 2009 I-Codes hosted here. The chapters that lean on it hardest are the ones to read next.
| Chapter | Code | Mentions |
|---|---|---|
| Special Detailed Requirements Based on Use and Occupancy | IBC 2009 | 14 |
| Hazardous Materials-general Provisions | IFC 2009 | 5 |
| General Building Heights and Areas | IBC 2009 | 2 |
| Fire Protection Systems | IFC 2009 | 2 |
| Manufacture of Organic Coatings | IFC 2009 | 2 |
| Organic Peroxides | IFC 2009 | 2 |
| Oxidizers, Oxidizing Gases and Oxidizing Cryogenic Fluids | IFC 2009 | 2 |
| Pyrophoric Materials | IFC 2009 | 2 |
| Unstable (reactive) Materials | IFC 2009 | 2 |
| Water-reactive Solids and Liquids | IFC 2009 | 2 |
| Definitions | IBC 2009 | 1 |
| Definitions | IFC 2009 | 1 |
1 further chapters mention the term.
The term in use
How the code actually writes about detached building, quoted from the 2009 text hosted here:
The process of "doping," involving use of a volatile flammable solvent, or of painting, shall be carried on in a separate detached building equipped with automatic fire-extinguishing equipment in accordance with Section 903.
The process of "doping," involving the use of a volatile flammable solvent, or of painting shall be carried on in a separate detached building equipped with automatic fire-extinguishing equipment in accordance with Section 903.
Mills, operating with close clearances, which process flammable and heat-sensitive materials, such as nitrocellulose, shall be located in a detached building or in a noncombustible structure without other occupancies.
The terms detached building 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 detached building covers:
- Hazardous Materials — IBC 2009: Those chemicals or substances that are physical hazards or health hazards as defined and classified in this section and the International Fire Code, whether the materials are in usable or waste condition.
- Building — IBC 2009: Any structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or occupancy.
- Approved — IBC 2009: Acceptable to the code official or authority having jurisdiction.
- Basement — IBC 2009: A story that is not a storyabovegrade plane (see "Story above grade plane" in Section 202).
- Story — IBC 2009: That portion ofa building included between the upper surface of a floor and the upper surface of the floor or roof next above (also see "Basement," "Mezzanine" and Section 502.1).
Detached Building: 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 | Special Detailed Requirements Based on Use and Occupancy | |
| Read the definition in the adopted IFC | Hazardous Materials-general Provisions | |
| Re-check the requirement that uses it | Special Detailed Requirements Based on Use and Occupancy (IBC 2009) | |
| Re-check the requirement that uses it | Hazardous Materials-general Provisions (IFC 2009) | |
| Re-check the requirement that uses it | General Building Heights and Areas (IBC 2009) | |
| Re-check the requirement that uses it | Fire Protection Systems (IFC 2009) | |
| Confirm the dependent definition | Hazardous Materials | |
| Confirm the dependent definition | Building | |
| Confirm the dependent definition | Approved | |
| 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.
Where can you explore related guidance?
- Explore all glossary guidance
- Hazardous Materials: Building Code Definition
- Building: Building Code Definition
- Basement: Building Code Definition
- Approved: Building Code Definition
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 detached building?
The International Building Code (IBC) 2009 defines it in Special Detailed Requirements Based on Use and Occupancy as: “A separate single-story bUilding, without a basement or crawl space, used for the storage or use of hazardous materials and located an approved distance from all structures.” 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 detached building?
In this corpus the term is used across 13 chapters, led by Special Detailed Requirements Based on Use and Occupancy in the IBC 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.
Related pages
- Design Pressure: Building Code Definition
Design Pressure — IFC 2009 definition: The maximum gauge pressure that a pressure vessel, device, component or system is designed to withstand …
- Design Strength: Building Code Definition
Design Strength — IBC 2009 definition: The product of the nominal strength and a resistance factor (or strength reduction factor).
- Designated Seismic System: Building Code Definition
Designated Seismic System — IBC 2009 definition: Those architectural, electrical and mechanical systems and their components that require design in accordance with Chapter …
- Detector, Heat: Building Code Definition
Detector, Heat — IBC 2009 definition: A fire detector that senses heat-either abnormally high temperature or rate of rise, or both.
- Detonating Cord: Building Code Definition
Detonating Cord — IFC 2009 definition: A flexible cord containing a center core of high explosive used to initiate other explosives.
- Detonation: Building Code Definition
Detonation — IBC 2009 definition: An exothermic reaction characterized by the presence of a shock wave in the material which establishes …