Building Code Glossary
Emergency Shutoff Valve, Automatic: Building Code Definition
How the IFC 2009 define emergency shutoff valve, automatic, 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
Emergency shutoff valve, automatic is a defined term in the International Fire Code (IFC) 2009, in Definitions. The code's own words are: “A fail-safe automatic-closing valve designed to shut off the flow of gases or liquids initiated by a control system that is activated by automatic means.” No other I-Code in this corpus defines it, so the IFC 2009 definition is the one to work from. The term is used in 7 chapters of this corpus, most often in Pyrophoric Materials (IFC 2009), Flammable Gases and Flammable Cryogenic Fluids (IFC 2009), Oxidizers, Oxidizing Gases and Oxidizing Cryogenic Fluids (IFC 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?
Emergency Shutoff Valve, Automatic — IFC 2009, Definitions:
A fail-safe automatic-closing valve designed to shut off the flow of gases or liquids initiated by a control system that is activated by automatic means.
What must be verified before using this guidance?
Emergency Shutoff Valve, Automatic is defined once in this corpus, in the Definitions chapter of the International Fire Code (IFC) 2009:
A fail-safe automatic-closing valve designed to shut off the flow of gases or liquids initiated by a control system that is activated by automatic means.
Where emergency shutoff valve, automatic is used in the code
The term appears in 7 chapters of the 2009 I-Codes hosted here. The chapters that lean on it hardest are the ones to read next.
| Chapter | Code | Mentions |
|---|---|---|
| Pyrophoric Materials | IFC 2009 | 8 |
| Flammable Gases and Flammable Cryogenic Fluids | IFC 2009 | 5 |
| Oxidizers, Oxidizing Gases and Oxidizing Cryogenic Fluids | IFC 2009 | 5 |
| Motor Fuel-dispensing Facilities and Repair Garages | IFC 2009 | 4 |
| Hazardous Materials-general Provisions | IFC 2009 | 3 |
| Cryogenic Fluids | IFC 2009 | 2 |
| Definitions | IFC 2009 | 1 |
The term in use
How the code actually writes about emergency shutoff valve, automatic, quoted from the 2009 text hosted here:
An automatic emergency shutoff valve shall be installed on supply piping at the cylinder or bulk source.
A manual or automatic emergency shutoff valve shall be installed on the supply piping at the point of use or at a point where the equipment using the gas is connected to the supply system.
An approved automatic emergency shutoff valve designed to close in the event ofa fire or impact shall be properly installed in the liquid supply line at the base of each dispenser supplied by a remote pump.
Emergency Shutoff Valve, Automatic compared with Emergency Shutoff Valve
These two are the closest pair in the 2009 I-Codes: about 50 per cent of their defining words are the same. The code states both and compares neither, so the difference is worth naming.
| Wording unique to it | |
|---|---|
| Emergency Shutoff Valve, Automatic (IFC 2009) | fail, safe, automatic, closing, initiated, control, system, activated, means |
| Emergency Shutoff Valve (IFC 2009) | — no wording of its own |
Everything else in the two definitions is shared. If a project turns on which of the two applies, those words are the whole of the test — and a local amendment that edits one of them without editing the other moves the boundary between emergency shutoff valve, automatic and emergency shutoff valve.
The terms emergency shutoff valve, automatic 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 emergency shutoff valve, automatic covers:
- 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.
- Fail-safe — IFC 2009: A design condition incorporating a feature for automatically counteracting the effect of an anticipated possible source of failure; also, a design condition eliminating or mitigating a hazardous condition by compensating automatically for a failure or malfunction.
- Control — IRC 2009: A manual or automatic device designed to regulate the gas, air, water or electrical supply to, or operation of, a mechanical system.
- System — IFC 2009: An assembly of equipment consisting of a tank, container or containers, appurtenances, pumps, compressors and connecting piping.
- Valve — IRC 2009: A device used in piping to control the gas supply to any section of a system of piping or to an appliance.
Emergency Shutoff Valve, Automatic: 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 IFC | Definitions | |
| Re-check the requirement that uses it | Pyrophoric Materials (IFC 2009) | |
| Re-check the requirement that uses it | Flammable Gases and Flammable Cryogenic Fluids (IFC 2009) | |
| Re-check the requirement that uses it | Oxidizers, Oxidizing Gases and Oxidizing Cryogenic Fluids (IFC 2009) | |
| Re-check the requirement that uses it | Motor Fuel-dispensing Facilities and Repair Garages (IFC 2009) | |
| Confirm the dependent definition | Automatic | |
| Confirm the dependent definition | Fail-safe | |
| Confirm the dependent definition | Control | |
| 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
- Fail-safe: Building Code Definition
- Automatic: Building Code Definition
- Control: Building Code Definition
- System: 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 emergency shutoff valve, automatic?
The International Fire Code (IFC) 2009 defines it in Definitions as: “A fail-safe automatic-closing valve designed to shut off the flow of gases or liquids initiated by a control system that is activated by automatic means.” 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 emergency shutoff valve, automatic?
In this corpus the term is used across 7 chapters, led by Pyrophoric Materials in the IFC 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.
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