# Helical Pile: Building Code Definition > How the IBC 2009 define helical pile, where the wording differs, and which chapters depend on the term. - Canonical: https://harth.build/resources/glossary/helical-pile/ - Last updated: 2026-09-07 - Data source: 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. ## Key facts | Fact | Value | | --- | --- | | Defined in | IBC 2009 (2009 editions transcribed in this corpus) | | Primary source | IBC 2009 Soils and Foundations (model text, not a jurisdiction's adopted text) | | Chapters using the term | 3 (counted across the codes hosted here) | | Wording identical across codes | Single code (compare before citing one code's wording under another) | ## Direct answer Helical pile is a defined term in the International Building Code (IBC) 2009, in Soils and Foundations. The code's own words are: “Manufactured steel deep foundation element consisting of a central shaft and one or more helical bearing plates. A helical pile is installed by rotating it into the ground. Each helical bearing plate is formed into a screw thread with a uniform defined pitch.” No other I-Code in this corpus defines it, so the IBC 2009 definition is the one to work from. The term is used in 3 chapters of this corpus, most often in Soils and Foundations (IBC 2009), Structural Tests and Special Inspections (IBC 2009), Definitions (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](https://nz.linkedin.com/in/barrington), Harth founder and architectural technology specialist · Published 2026-09-07 · Updated 2026-09-07.* ## What does this term mean? **Helical Pile** — IBC 2009, Soils and Foundations: > Manufactured steel deep foundation element consisting of a central shaft and one or more helical bearing plates. A helical pile is installed by rotating it into the ground. Each helical bearing plate is formed into a screw thread with a uniform defined pitch. ![Labeled code-term definition diagram: Helical Pile: Building Code Definition](https://efwwel0vyt9vy5so.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/images/glossary/helical-pile/diagram-1344.webp) *How the IBC 2009 define helical pile, where the wording differs, and which chapters depend on the term.* ## What must be verified before using this guidance? **Helical Pile** is defined once in this corpus, in the [Soils and Foundations](https://harth.build/resources/building-codes/us-states/maryland/ibc-2009/soils-and-foundations.md) chapter of the International Building Code (IBC) 2009: > Manufactured steel deep foundation element consisting of a central shaft and one or more helical bearing plates. A helical pile is installed by rotating it into the ground. Each helical bearing plate is formed into a screw thread with a uniform defined pitch. ## Where helical pile is used in the code The term appears in 3 chapters of the 2009 I-Codes hosted here. The chapters that lean on it hardest are the ones to read next. | Chapter | Code | Mentions | | --- | --- | --- | | [Soils and Foundations](https://harth.build/resources/building-codes/us-states/maryland/ibc-2009/soils-and-foundations.md) | IBC 2009 | 27 | | [Structural Tests and Special Inspections](https://harth.build/resources/building-codes/us-states/maryland/ibc-2009/structural-tests-and-special-inspections.md) | IBC 2009 | 2 | | [Definitions](https://harth.build/resources/building-codes/us-states/maryland/ibc-2009/definitions.md) | IBC 2009 | 1 | ### The term in use How the code actually writes about helical pile, quoted from the 2009 text hosted here: > The torque applied during installation shall not exceed the maximum allowable installation torque of the helical pile. — [IBC 2009 §1810.4.11](https://harth.build/resources/building-codes/us-states/maryland/ibc-2009/soils-and-foundations.md) > Special inspections shall be performed continuously during installation of helical pile foundations. — [IBC 2009 §1704.10](https://harth.build/resources/building-codes/us-states/maryland/ibc-2009/structural-tests-and-special-inspections.md) ## The terms helical pile is built out of The definition above leans on 3 other defined terms. Each carries its own code definition, and a local amendment to any of them changes what helical pile covers: - **[Deep Foundation](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/deep-foundation.md)** — IBC 2009: A deep foundation is a foundation element that does not satisfy the definition of a shallow foundation. - **[Shaft](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/shaft.md)** — IBC 2009: An enclosed space extending through one or more stories of a building, connecting vertical openings in successive floors, or floors and roof. - **[Steel](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/steel.md)** — IFC 2009: Hot-or cold-rolled as defined by the International Building Code. ## Helical Pile: what to open, and in what order Every row is a document this term depends on. The [ICC code library](https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes) and the [ICC adoption maps](https://www.iccsafe.org/advocacy/code-adoption-maps/) cover the middle rows. | Check | Where | Confirmed | | --- | --- | --- | | Read the definition in the adopted IBC | Soils and Foundations | | | Re-check the requirement that uses it | Soils and Foundations (IBC 2009) | | | Re-check the requirement that uses it | Structural Tests and Special Inspections (IBC 2009) | | | Re-check the requirement that uses it | Definitions (IBC 2009) | | | Confirm the dependent definition | Deep Foundation | | | Confirm the dependent definition | Shaft | | | Confirm the dependent definition | Steel | | | 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](https://harth.build/resources/glossary.md) - [Deep Foundation: Building Code Definition](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/deep-foundation.md) - [Steel: Building Code Definition](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/steel.md) - [Shaft: Building Code Definition](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/shaft.md) ## 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](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. ### Source links - [codes.iccsafe.org](https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes) - [iccsafe.org](https://www.iccsafe.org/advocacy/code-adoption-maps/) ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the code definition of helical pile? The International Building Code (IBC) 2009 defines it in Soils and Foundations as: “Manufactured steel deep foundation element consisting of a central shaft and one or more helical bearing plates. A helical pile is installed by rotating it into the ground. Each helical bearing plate is formed into a screw thread with a uniform defined pitch.” 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 helical pile? In this corpus the term is used across 3 chapters, led by Soils and Foundations 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. ### What is a helical pile in construction? In the 2009 I-Codes hosted here it is a defined term rather than a description. The IBC 2009 states, in Soils and Foundations: “Manufactured steel deep foundation element consisting of a central shaft and one or more helical bearing plates. A helical pile is installed by rotating it into the ground. Each helical bearing plate is formed into a screw thread with a uniform defined pitch.” It is defined in IBC 2009. Because it is a defined term, whatever the adopted edition says it means is what every section using it means — so check Chapter 2 of that edition and any local amendment before relying on this wording. --- - Continue in Harth (open this topic in the Harth agent): https://app.harth.build/agent?context=%2Fresources%2Fglossary%2Fhelical-pile%2F - View this page in a browser: https://harth.build/resources/glossary/helical-pile/ - All resources for agents: https://harth.build/llms.txt