Interpretation #: CEB-2023-03 [2020 IRC-TR603.3.2(1)]

Building or Fire Safety Law Interpreted

675 IAC 14-4.4 2020 Indiana Residential Code Table R603.3.2(1) WALL FASTENING SCHEDULE

[Table contents omitted for lack of relevance to the request]

Issue

Whether the requirements of Table R603.3.2(1) of the 2020 Indiana Residential Code (IRC) apply to metal stud furring installed on the interior face of an exterior wall.

Interpretation of the State Building Commissioner

No, the requirements of Table R603.3.2(1) of the 2020 IRC do not apply to metal stud furring installed on the interior face of an exterior wall.

Rationale

Section R603.3.2 and its associated Table R603.3.2(1) are among the subsections of Section R603.3 and are therefore limited in application to the scope prescribed by R603.3. That section limits this scope to two specific cold-formed steel framed wall conditions – exterior walls and interior load-bearing walls.

Furring is typically neither an exterior wall nor an interior load-bearing wall. Furring is the installation of supplemental framing members applied to a wall for the purposes of installing finish materials, providing additional insulation, allowing venting and air circulation, or providing concealed space for the installation of other system components such as piping, wiring, etc. If the exterior wall meets all its own performance requirements, added furring is not considered an integral part of that wall. If the furring does not support any structural loads other than its own weight and that of the construction it contains, it is also not an interior load-bearing wall. Since furring is not an integral part of an exterior wall, nor is it an interior load-bearing wall, the requirements of Table R603.3.2(1) do not apply.