Updated 2026-09-07

Building Code Glossary

Loads: Building Code Definition

How the IBC 2009 define 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

Loads is a defined term in the International Building Code (IBC) 2009, in Structural Design. The code's own words are: “Forces or other actions that result from the weight of building materials, occupants and their possessions, environmental effects, differential movement and restrained dimensional changes. Permanent loads are those loads in which variations over time are rare or of small magnitude, such as dead loads. All other loads are variable loads (see also" Nominalloads").” 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 73 chapters of this corpus, most often in Structural Design (IBC 2009), Soils and Foundations (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?

Loads — IBC 2009, Structural Design:

Forces or other actions that result from the weight of building materials, occupants and their possessions, environmental effects, differential movement and restrained dimensional changes. Permanent loads are those loads in which variations over time are rare or of small magnitude, such as dead loads. All other loads are variable loads (see also" Nominalloads").

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

What must be verified before using this guidance?

Loads is defined once in this corpus, in the Structural Design chapter of the International Building Code (IBC) 2009:

Forces or other actions that result from the weight of building materials, occupants and their possessions, environmental effects, differential movement and restrained dimensional changes. Permanent loads are those loads in which variations over time are rare or of small magnitude, such as dead loads. All other loads are variable loads (see also" Nominalloads").

Where loads is used in the code

The term appears in 73 chapters of the 2009 I-Codes hosted here. The chapters that lean on it hardest are the ones to read next.

Chapter	Code	Mentions
Structural Design	IBC 2009	310
Soils and Foundations	IBC 2009	119
Wood	IBC 2009	81
Building Planning	IRC 2009	73
Wall Construction	IRC 2009	47
Existing Structures	IBC 2009	39
Plastic	IBC 2009	38
Glass and Glazing	IBC 2009	35
Special Detailed Requirements Based on Use and Occupancy	IBC 2009	34
Building Services and Systems	IFC 2009	34
Branch Circuit and Feeder Requirements	IRC 2009	30
Roof-ceiling Construction	IRC 2009	27

61 further chapters mention the term.

The term in use

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

The design loads and other information pertinent to the structural design required by Sections 1603.1.1 through 1603.1.9 shall be indicated on the construction documents.

— IBC 2009 §1603.1

The values of vertical foundation pressure and lateral bearing pressure given in Table 1806.2 shall be permitted to be increased by one-third where used with the alternative basic load combinations of Section 1605.3.2 that include wind or earthquake loads.

— IBC 2009 §1806.1

The test data developed by ASTM D 5516 shall be used to develop adjustment factors, maximum loads and spans, or both, for untreated plywood design values in accordance with ASTM D 6305.

— IBC 2009 §2303.2.5.1

The terms loads is built out of

The definition above leans on 2 other defined terms. Each carries its own code definition, and a local amendment to any of them changes what loads covers:

Dead Loads — IBC 2009: 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 …
Building — IBC 2009: Any structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or occupancy.

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
Re-check the requirement that uses it	Structural Design (IBC 2009)
Re-check the requirement that uses it	Soils and Foundations (IBC 2009)
Re-check the requirement that uses it	Wood (IBC 2009)
Re-check the requirement that uses it	Building Planning (IRC 2009)
Confirm the dependent definition	Dead Loads
Confirm the dependent definition	Building
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 loads?

The International Building Code (IBC) 2009 defines it in Structural Design as: “Forces or other actions that result from the weight of building materials, occupants and their possessions, environmental effects, differential movement and restrained dimensional changes. Permanent loads are those loads in which variations over time are rare or of small magnitude, such as dead loads. All other loads are variable loads (see also" Nominalloads").” 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 loads?

In this corpus the term is used across 73 chapters, led by Structural Design 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 are the four types of loads?

In the 2009 I-Codes hosted here it is a defined term rather than a description. The IBC 2009 states, in Structural Design: “Forces or other actions that result from the weight of building materials, occupants and their possessions, environmental effects, differential movement and restrained dimensional changes. Permanent loads are those loads in which variations over time are rare or of small magnitude, such as dead loads. All other loads are variable loads (see also" Nominalloads").” 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.

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