Updated 2026-09-07

Building Code Glossary

Smoke Damper: Building Code Definition

How the IBC 2009, IFC 2009, IMC 2009 define smoke damper, 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

Smoke damper is a defined term in the International Building Code (IBC) 2009, in Fire and Smoke Protection Features. The code's own words are: “A listed device installed in ducts and air transfer openings designed to resist the passage of smoke. The device is installed to operate automatically, controlled by a smoke detection system, and where required, is capable of being positioned from a fire command center.” The IFC 2009, IMC 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 10 chapters of this corpus, most often in Fire and Smoke Protection Features (IBC 2009), Duct Systems (IMC 2009), Exhaust Systems (IMC 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?

Smoke Damper — IBC 2009, Fire and Smoke Protection Features:

A listed device installed in ducts and air transfer openings designed to resist the passage of smoke. The device is installed to operate automatically, controlled by a smoke detection system, and where required, is capable of being positioned from a fire command center.

Labeled code-term definition diagram: Smoke Damper: Building Code Definition — How the IBC 2009, IFC 2009, IMC 2009 define smoke damper, where the wording differs, and which chapters depend on the term.

What must be verified before using this guidance?

Three of the I-Codes in this corpus define Smoke Damper, and the wording is not identical — read the version that governs your question.

Code	Where it is defined	Definition
IBC 2009	Fire and Smoke Protection Features	A listed device installed in ducts and air transfer openings designed to resist the passage of smoke. The device is installed to operate automatically, controlled by a smoke detection system, and where required, is capable of being positioned from a fire command center.
IFC 2009	Definitions	A listeddevice installed in ducts and air transfer openings designed to resist the passage of smoke. The device is installed to operate automatically, controlled by a smoke detection system, and where required, is capable of being positioned from a fire command center:
IMC 2009	Definitions	A listed device installed in ducts and air transfer openings designed to resist the passage of smoke. The device is installed to operate automatically, controlled by a smoke detection system, and where required, is capable of being positioned from a fire command center.

Where smoke damper is used in the code

The term appears in 10 chapters of the 2009 I-Codes hosted here. The chapters that lean on it hardest are the ones to read next.

Chapter	Code	Mentions
Fire and Smoke Protection Features	IBC 2009	120
Duct Systems	IMC 2009	113
Exhaust Systems	IMC 2009	7
Fire Protection Systems	IBC 2009	3
Fire Protection Systems	IFC 2009	3
Definitions	IBC 2009	2
General Building Heights and Areas	IBC 2009	2
Definitions	IFC 2009	2
Fire-resistance-rated Construction	IFC 2009	2
Definitions	IMC 2009	2

The term in use

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

Air transfer openings in smoke partitions shall be provided with a smoke damper complying with Section 716.3.2.2.

— IBC 2009 §711.7

Smoke damper leakage ratings shall not be less than Class II.

— IMC 2009 §607.3.2.2

Ducts and air transfer openings are required to be protected with a minimum Class II, 250°F (121°C) smoke damper complying with Section 716 of the International BUilding Code.

— IFC 2009 §909.5.2.1

Smoke Damper compared with Combination Fire/smoke Damper

These two are the closest pair in the 2009 I-Codes: about 85 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
Smoke Damper (IBC 2009)	— no wording of its own
Combination Fire/smoke Damper (IBC 2009)	close, upon, heat, flame

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 smoke damper and combination fire/smoke damper.

The terms smoke damper is built out of

The definition above leans on 4 other defined terms. Each carries its own code definition, and a local amendment to any of them changes what smoke damper covers:

Fire Command Center — IBC 2009: The principal attended or unattended location where the status of detection, alarm communications and control systems is displayed, and from which the system(s) can be manually controlled.
Listed — IBC 2009: 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 …
System — IFC 2009: An assembly of equipment consisting of a tank, container or containers, appurtenances, pumps, compressors and connecting piping.
Device — IRC 2009: Aunit of an electrical system that carries or controls electrical energy as it principal function.

Smoke Damper: 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	Fire and Smoke Protection Features
Read the definition in the adopted IFC	Definitions
Read the definition in the adopted IMC	Definitions
Re-check the requirement that uses it	Fire and Smoke Protection Features (IBC 2009)
Re-check the requirement that uses it	Duct Systems (IMC 2009)
Re-check the requirement that uses it	Exhaust Systems (IMC 2009)
Re-check the requirement that uses it	Fire Protection Systems (IBC 2009)
Confirm the dependent definition	Fire Command Center
Confirm the dependent definition	Listed
Confirm the dependent definition	System
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 smoke damper?

The International Building Code (IBC) 2009 defines it in Fire and Smoke Protection Features as: “A listed device installed in ducts and air transfer openings designed to resist the passage of smoke. The device is installed to operate automatically, controlled by a smoke detection system, and where required, is capable of being positioned from a fire command center.” 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 smoke damper the same way?

No. IBC 2009, IFC 2009, IMC 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 smoke damper?

In this corpus the term is used across 10 chapters, led by Fire and Smoke Protection Features 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 NFPA 80 guidelines for fire damper testing?

Fire Damper is a separate defined term. The IBC 2009 defines it as: “A listed device installed in ducts and air transfer openings designed to close automatically upon detection of heat and resist the passage of flame. Fire dampers are classified for use in either static systems that will automatically shut down in the event of a fire …” That is not the same as smoke damper, which the IBC 2009 defines as “A listed device installed in ducts and air transfer openings designed to resist the passage of smoke. The device is installed to operate automatically, controlled by a smoke detection system, and where required, is capable of being positioned from a …” — read both before applying either, and confirm the wording in the edition your jurisdiction has adopted.

What is the difference between a fire damper and a smoke damper?

In the 2009 I-Codes hosted here it is a defined term rather than a description. The IBC 2009 states, in Fire and Smoke Protection Features: “A listed device installed in ducts and air transfer openings designed to resist the passage of smoke. The device is installed to operate automatically, controlled by a smoke detection system, and where required, is capable of being positioned from a fire command center.” It is defined in IBC 2009, IFC 2009, IMC 2009. It is not the same as Fire Damper, which the IBC 2009 defines separately as “A listed device installed in ducts and air transfer openings designed to close automatically upon detection of heat and resist the passage of flame. Fire dampers are classified for use in either static systems that …” 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 is the purpose of a smoke damper?

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