Abstract: Standards and Codes for Educational Facilities Professionals

This chapter of the APPA Body of Knowledge (BOK) is intended to give facilities managers and engineers a starting point to better understand the nature of codes and standards for educational facilities. This chapter is not intended to be all-encompassing, but rather a launching point from which facilities professionals can know where to look for and how to obtain the needed knowledge of standards for the benefit of their organizations. Educational campuses have a myriad of types of facilities each with specific regulatory requirements and systems that are growing more complex. With a working knowledge of federal/national, state/province, local, and industry codes—as well as standards and guidelines—facilities professionals are positioned to operate, maintain, design, and construct for the public’s safety and welfare. As a matter of clarity, this chapter is written based mainly on a United States context—although international and other standards are included. That said, what is discussed related to “states” is very often also applicable in “provinces” or other analogous governance bodies in international settings (especially in Canada and Mexico).