Updated 2026-09-07

Building Code Glossary

Tank, Atmospheric: Building Code Definition

How the IFC 2009 define tank, atmospheric, 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

Tank, atmospheric is a defined term in the International Fire Code (IFC) 2009, in Hazardous Materials-general Provisions. The code's own words are: “A storage tank designed to operate at pressures from atmospheric through 1.0 pound per square inch gauge (760 mm Hg through 812 mm Hg) measured at the top of the tank.” 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 4 chapters of this corpus, most often in Flammable and Combustible Liquids (IFC 2009), Hazardous Materials-general Provisions (IFC 2009), 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?

Tank, Atmospheric — IFC 2009, Hazardous Materials-general Provisions:

A storage tank designed to operate at pressures from atmospheric through 1.0 pound per square inch gauge (760 mm Hg through 812 mm Hg) measured at the top of the tank.

Labeled code-term definition diagram: Tank, Atmospheric: Building Code Definition — How the IFC 2009 define tank, atmospheric, where the wording differs, and which chapters depend on the term.

What must be verified before using this guidance?

Tank, Atmospheric is defined once in this corpus, in the Hazardous Materials-general Provisions chapter of the International Fire Code (IFC) 2009:

A storage tank designed to operate at pressures from atmospheric through 1.0 pound per square inch gauge (760 mm Hg through 812 mm Hg) measured at the top of the tank.

Where tank, atmospheric is used in the code

The term appears in 4 chapters of the 2009 I-Codes hosted here. The chapters that lean on it hardest are the ones to read next.

Chapter	Code	Mentions
Flammable and Combustible Liquids	IFC 2009	5
Hazardous Materials-general Provisions	IFC 2009	3
Cryogenic Fluids	IFC 2009	1
Definitions	IFC 2009	1

Tank, Atmospheric: 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	Hazardous Materials-general Provisions
Re-check the requirement that uses it	Flammable and Combustible Liquids (IFC 2009)
Re-check the requirement that uses it	Hazardous Materials-general Provisions (IFC 2009)
Re-check the requirement that uses it	Cryogenic Fluids (IFC 2009)
Re-check the requirement that uses it	Definitions (IFC 2009)
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 tank, atmospheric?

The International Fire Code (IFC) 2009 defines it in Hazardous Materials-general Provisions as: “A storage tank designed to operate at pressures from atmospheric through 1.0 pound per square inch gauge (760 mm Hg through 812 mm Hg) measured at the top of the tank.” 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 tank, atmospheric?

In this corpus the term is used across 4 chapters, led by Flammable and Combustible Liquids 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.

What does "atmospheric tank" mean?

In the 2009 I-Codes hosted here it is a defined term rather than a description. The IFC 2009 states, in Hazardous Materials-general Provisions: “A storage tank designed to operate at pressures from atmospheric through 1.0 pound per square inch gauge (760 mm Hg through 812 mm Hg) measured at the top of the tank.” It is defined in IFC 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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