Building Code Glossary
Listed: Building Code Definition
How the IBC 2009, IRC 2009, IFC 2009, IMC 2009, IECC 2009 define listed, 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
Listed is a defined term in the International Building Code (IBC) 2009, in Definitions. The code's own words are: “Equipment, materials, products or services included in a list published by an organization acceptable to the code official and concerned with evaluation of products or services that maintains periodic inspection of production of listed equipment or materials or periodic evaluation of services and whose listing states either that the equipment, material, product or service meets …” The IRC 2009, IFC 2009, IMC 2009, IECC 2009 define 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 120 chapters of this corpus, most often in Fuel Gas (IRC 2009), Fire and Smoke Protection Features (IBC 2009), Motor Fuel-dispensing Facilities and Repair Garages (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?
Listed — IBC 2009, Definitions:
Equipment, materials, products or services included in a list published by an organization acceptable to the code official and concerned with evaluation of products or services that maintains periodic inspection of production of listed equipment or materials or periodic evaluation of services and whose listing states either that the equipment, material, product or service meets identified standards or has been tested and found suitable for a specified purpose.
What are the key takeaways?
- Defined in: IBC 2009, IRC 2009, IFC 2009, IMC 2009, IECC 2009
- Primary source: IBC 2009 Definitions
- Chapters using the term: 120
- Wording identical across codes: No
What must be verified before using this guidance?
Five of the I-Codes in this corpus define Listed, and the wording is not identical — read the version that governs your question.
| Code | Where it is defined | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| IBC 2009 | Definitions | Equipment, materials, products or services included in a list published by an organization acceptable to the code official and concerned with evaluation of products or services that maintains periodic inspection of production of listed equipment or materials or periodic evaluation of services and whose listing states either that the equipment, material, product or service meets identified standards or has been tested and found suitable for a specified purpose. |
| IRC 2009 | Electrical Definitions | Equipment, materials or services included in a list published by an organization that is acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction and concerned with evaluation of products or services, that maintains periodic inspection of production of listed equipment or materials or periodic evaluation of services, and whose listing states either that the equipment, material or services meets identified standards or has been tested and found suitable for a specified purpose. |
| IFC 2009 | Definitions | Equipment, materials, products or services included in a list published by an organization acceptable to the fire code official and concerned with evaluation of products or services that maintains periodic inspection of production of listed equipment or materials or periodic evaluation of services and whose listing states either that the equipment, material, product or service meets identified standards or has been tested and found suitable for a specified purpose. |
| IMC 2009 | Definitions | Equipment, materials, products or services included in a list published by an organization acceptable to the code official and concerned with evaluation of products or services that maintains periodic inspection of production of listed equipment or materials or periodic evaluation of services and whose listing states either that the equipment, material, product or service meets identified standards or has been tested and found suitable for a specified purpose. |
| IECC 2009 | Definitions | Equipment, materials, products or services included in a list published by an organization acceptable to the code official and concerned with evaluation of products or services that maintains periodic inspection of production of listed equipment or materials or periodic evaluation of services and whose listing states either that the equipment, material, product or service meets identified standards or has been tested and found suitable for a specified purpose. |
Where listed is used in the code
The term appears in 120 chapters of the 2009 I-Codes hosted here. The chapters that lean on it hardest are the ones to read next.
| Chapter | Code | Mentions |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel Gas | IRC 2009 | 267 |
| Fire and Smoke Protection Features | IBC 2009 | 112 |
| Motor Fuel-dispensing Facilities and Repair Garages | IFC 2009 | 99 |
| Duct Systems | IMC 2009 | 88 |
| Flammable and Combustible Liquids | IFC 2009 | 74 |
| Exhaust Systems | IMC 2009 | 73 |
| Fire Protection Systems | IFC 2009 | 72 |
| Fire Protection Systems | IBC 2009 | 54 |
| Building Planning | IRC 2009 | 44 |
| Swimming Pools | IRC 2009 | 43 |
| Means of Egress | IFC 2009 | 42 |
| Power and Lighting Distribution | IRC 2009 | 39 |
108 further chapters mention the term.
The term in use
How the code actually writes about listed, quoted from the 2009 text hosted here:
Appliances regulated by this code shall be listed and labeled for the application in which they are used unless otherwise approved in accordance with Section R1 04.11.
The substrates shall also be free of primers, paints and encapsulants other than those fire tested and listed by a nationally recognized testing agency.
Such tanks shall be located in special enclosures complying with Section 2206.2.6, in a liquid storage room or a liquid storage warehouse complying with Chapter 34, or shall be listed and labeled as protected above-ground tanks.
Listed compared with Labeled
These two are the closest pair in the 2009 I-Codes: about 46 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 | |
|---|---|
| Listed (IBC 2009) | services, included, list, published, acceptable, code, official, listed, listing, states, service |
| Labeled (IBC 2009) | affixed, label, seal, symbol, identifying, mark, nationally, recognized, testing, laboratory, agency, above |
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 listed and labeled.
The terms listed 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 listed covers:
- Fire Code Official — IFC 2009: The fire chief or other designated authority charged with the administration and enforcement of the code, or a duly authorized representative.
- Code Official — IRC 2009: The officer or other designated authority charged with the administration and enforcement of this code, or a duly authorized representative.
- Jurisdiction — IBC 2009: The governmental unit that has adopted this code under due legislative authority.
- Identified — IRC 2009: (As applied to equipment.) Recognizable as suitable for the specific purpose, function, use, environment, application, etc., where described in a particular code requirement.
- 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.
Listed: 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 | Definitions | |
| Read the definition in the adopted IRC | Electrical Definitions | |
| Read the definition in the adopted IFC | Definitions | |
| Read the definition in the adopted IMC | Definitions | |
| Read the definition in the adopted IECC | Definitions | |
| Re-check the requirement that uses it | Fuel Gas (IRC 2009) | |
| Re-check the requirement that uses it | Fire and Smoke Protection Features (IBC 2009) | |
| Re-check the requirement that uses it | Motor Fuel-dispensing Facilities and Repair Garages (IFC 2009) | |
| Re-check the requirement that uses it | Duct Systems (IMC 2009) | |
| Confirm the dependent definition | Fire Code Official | |
| Confirm the dependent definition | Code Official | |
| Confirm the dependent definition | Jurisdiction | |
| 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
- Fire Code Official: Building Code Definition
- Code Official: Building Code Definition
- Jurisdiction: Building Code Definition
- Identified: 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 listed?
The International Building Code (IBC) 2009 defines it in Definitions as: “Equipment, materials, products or services included in a list published by an organization acceptable to the code official and concerned with evaluation of products or services that maintains periodic inspection of production of listed equipment or materials or periodic evaluation of services and whose listing states either that the equipment, material, product or service meets identified standards or has been tested and found suitable for a specified purpose.” 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.
Do the I-Codes define listed the same way?
No. IBC 2009, IRC 2009, IFC 2009, IMC 2009, IECC 2009 all define the term, but the wording is not identical, and a difference in wording can change which requirements are triggered. The comparison table above sets the versions side by side so you can read the one that governs your question.
Which parts of the code depend on listed?
In this corpus the term is used across 120 chapters, led by Fuel Gas 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 does "listed building" mean?
In the 2009 I-Codes hosted here it is a defined term rather than a description. The IBC 2009 states, in Definitions: “Equipment, materials, products or services included in a list published by an organization acceptable to the code official and concerned with evaluation of products or services that maintains periodic inspection of production of listed equipment or materials or periodic evaluation of services and whose listing states either that the equipment, material, product or service meets …” It is defined in IBC 2009, IRC 2009, IFC 2009, IMC 2009, IECC 2009. It is not the same as Building, which the IBC 2009 defines separately as “Any structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or occupancy.” 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.
What does IBC mean in building codes?
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 listed, which the IBC 2009 defines as “Equipment, materials, products or services included in a list published by an organization acceptable to the code official and concerned with evaluation of products or services that maintains periodic inspection of production of listed equipment or materials or periodic evaluation …” — read both before applying either, and confirm the wording in the edition your jurisdiction has adopted.
Related pages
- Liquid Storage Room: Building Code Definition
Liquid Storage Room — IBC 2009 definition: A room classified as a Group H-3 occupancy used for the storage of flammable or combustible …
- Liquid Storage Warehouse: Building Code Definition
Liquid Storage Warehouse — IFC 2009 definition: A building classified as a Group H-2 or H-3 occupancy used for the storage of flammable …
- Liquid: Building Code Definition
Liquid — IBC 2009 definition: A material that has a melting point that is equal to or less than 68°F (20°C) …
- Live Loads: Building Code Definition
Live Loads — IBC 2009 definition: Those loads produced by the use and occupancy of the building or other structure and do …
- Living Space: Building Code Definition
Living Space — IRC 2009 definition: Space within a dwelling unitutilized for living, sleeping, eating, cooking, bathing, washing and sanitation purposes.
- Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD): Building Code Definition
Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) — IBC 2009 definition: A method of proportioning structural members and their connections using load and resistance factors such th…