Interpretation #: CEB-2022-26-2020 IRC-R602.10.5

Building or Fire Safety Law Interpreted

675 IAC 14-4.4 2020 Indiana Residential Code, Section R602.10.5 Minimum length of a braced wall panel. The minimum length of a braced wall panel shall comply with Table R602.10.5. For methods CS-WSP and CS-SFB, the minimum panel length shall be based on the adjacent clear opening height in accordance with Table R602.10.5 and Figure R602.10.5. Where a panel has an opening on either side of differing heights, the taller opening height shall be used to determine the panel length.

Issue

Whether, in a detached dwelling with a CS-PF-type braced wall line, Section R602.10.5 of the 2020 Indiana Residential Code (IRC) requires the installation of a minimum 16 inch-long braced panel adjacent to a garage door portal with a header height of 8 feet or less.

Interpretation of the State Building Commissioner

No, in a detached dwelling with a CS-PF-type braced wall line, Section R602.10.5 of the 2020 IRC does not require the installation of a minimum 16 inch-long braced panel adjacent to a garage door portal with a header height of 8 feet or less.

Rationale

Section R602.10.5 deals with one requirement only – the minimum required length of a braced wall panel when that panel is installed in a given set of design conditions. Nowhere in the section or its accompanying table does it say a braced wall panel is required to be installed in those specific conditions. If a panel is provided in one or more of those conditions, then the section and table list the panel's minimum required length, and nothing more.

The bracing requirements of the 2020 IRC are many, and they can be complex and interrelated. They occur across Sections R602.10.1 through R602.10.10, with each section focusing on a specific area of regulation. They must all be considered when determining whether a given design is compliant. The bracing location requirements begin with Section R602.10.1 (where braced wall lines must occur within a structure) and Section R602.10.2 (where braced panels must occur within a braced wall line). Once those criteria are established, the section moves on to other areas of regulation, including the minimum required length of individual braced panels covered in Section R602.10.5.