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ICC B3 Building Plans Examiner Exam and IBC Plan Review, in Drawings Six Steps, Same Order Every Time

Occupancy groups, construction types, allowable height and area, occupant load, exits and travel distance, fire-rated assemblies, door ratings and accessibility. Every topic gets its own page: the drawing first, then what you need to remember. 69 illustrated pages.

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Every topic, its own pageEach code check drawn on a plan, with the explanation beside it
69 illustrated pages9 parts, from how the code and the exam work to the exam-day method
Up-to-date sourcesIBC and ICC A117.1, editions in the exam bulletin
PDF by emailFormat

Look Inside the Book

Every page has one big drawing and a box with the numbers and the code section you need to know:

A, B, E, F, H, I, M, R, S, U: ten groups, ten buildings, IBC Section 302.1.
A, B, E, F, H, I, M, R, S, U: ten groups, ten buildings, IBC Section 302.1.
Separated occupancies: the sum of actual ÷ allowable area per story must not exceed 1 (Sec. 508.4).
Separated occupancies: the sum of actual ÷ allowable area per story must not exceed 1 (Sec. 508.4).
Table 601: V-B is 0 hr, II-A is 1 hr for frame, floor and roof.
Table 601: V-B is 0 hr, II-A is 1 hr for frame, floor and roof.
B / VB sprinklered, one story: Aa = 36,000 + (9,000 × 0.25) = 38,250 sq ft.
B / VB sprinklered, one story: Aa = 36,000 + (9,000 × 0.25) = 38,250 sq ft.
Stairs: risers 4–7 in, treads 11 in, handrails 34–38 in, guards 42 in
Stairs: risers 4–7 in, treads 11 in, handrails 34–38 in, guards 42 in
Table 716.1(2): 2-hr shaft → 1½-hr door; 1-hr corridor → 20-min door with smoke control.
Table 716.1(2): 2-hr shaft → 1½-hr door; 1-hr corridor → 20-min door with smoke control.
Ground-floor M, upstairs B: six steps, each one traced to its IBC chapter and table.
Ground-floor M, upstairs B: six steps, each one traced to its IBC chapter and table.
0.3 / 0.2 in · 2-3-4 exits · 20 ft dead ends (50 ft sprinklered) · 42 in guards · 1:12 ramps.
0.3 / 0.2 in · 2-3-4 exits · 20 ft dead ends (50 ft sprinklered) · 42 in guards · 1:12 ramps.

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These are real pages from the book. The table of contents is the full one: 9 parts and 65 topics.

The Problem Isn't You. It's How It Was Explained to You.

You have a site plan in front of you. The building sits 8 feet from the side lot line, the front faces a street, and you have to decide what rating each exterior wall needs.

The manual covers fire separation distance in one long paragraph: from the building face, at right angles, to the lot line, the centerline of a street or an imaginary line. You read it and it makes sense. Then you look at the sheet and you still don't know where the tape stops.

Table 601: V-B is 0 hr, II-A is 1 hr for frame, floor and roof.

In the book, it's the same site plan seen from above. Arrows leave the wall face at right angles: one stops at the lot line, one at the street centerline, one at the imaginary line between two buildings. You see which line counts before you measure.

Every other check gets the same treatment, one page each: the 10 occupancy groups, Table 601 row by row, occupant load gross vs. net, exit separation, door rating vs. wall rating.

Next time you measure FSD on the plan, you know where to stop and which table to open next. No going back to the manual.

COMPARE FOR YOURSELF

Same Topic, Two Ways to Study It

THIS
  • The manual: line after line
  • Mixed occupancies explained only in words
  • You walk into the exam still unsure
Where a building contains two or more occupancies, they may be treated as nonseparated or separated. Under the nonseparated option, each portion is classified individually, allowable height and area are determined by the most restrictive provisions applicable to any occupancy present, and no fire separation between occupancies is required. Under the separated option, occupancies are divided by fire barriers or horizontal assemblies of the required rating, and on each story the sum of the ratios of actual floor area to allowable floor area for each separate occupancy shall not exceed one.
FOR THIS
  • Separated vs. nonseparated in one drawing
  • The area-ratio rule in a box
  • You see it, and you get it
Separated occupancies: the sum of actual ÷ allowable area per story must not exceed 1 (Sec. 508.4).
CONTENTS

Take a Look at the 9 Parts and 65 Topics

How the code and the exam work, occupancy, construction type, height and area, means of egress, rated assemblies, accessibility, what's beyond the 6 steps, and practice and review: 69 pages, all illustrated.

IHow the Code and the Exam Work · pp. 5-10
  1. Open book doesn't mean easy: why you run out of time
  2. The 6-step review order used on every sheet
  3. The IBC map: which chapter answers which question
  4. Reading a code section: numbers, exceptions and italics
  5. Chapter 2 definitions that decide exam answers
  6. Chapter 1: permits, construction documents and the approved set
IIStep 1: Occupancy Classification · pp. 11-18
  1. The 10 occupancy groups on one page
  2. Assembly A-1 to A-5 without mixing them up
  3. B, E or M: the confusing pairs
  4. R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4 and the I groups
  5. F, S and H: work, storage and hazard
  6. Small assembly rooms that stay B
  7. Accessory occupancies: the 10% rule
  8. Mixed occupancies: nonseparated vs. separated
IIIStep 2: Construction Type · pp. 19-24
  1. Types I to V drawn as five buildings
  2. Reading Table 601 one row at a time
  3. Fire separation distance: measuring it right
  4. Table 602: exterior wall ratings by distance
  5. Openings in exterior walls (Sec. 705.8)
  6. Type IV mass timber: IV-A, IV-B, IV-C and IV-HT
IVStep 3: Allowable Height and Area · pp. 25-33
  1. Grade plane and building height, measured on a section
  2. Stories above grade plane: when a basement counts
  3. Tables 504.3 and 504.4: height in feet and in stories
  4. Table 506.2: the area factor
  5. Frontage increase: the formula step by step
  6. Worked example: a one-story building
  7. Worked example: a multistory building
  8. Mezzanines: the 1/3 rule
  9. Unlimited area buildings (Sec. 507)
VStep 4: Means of Egress · pp. 34-45
  1. Exit access, exit, exit discharge
  2. Occupant load: gross vs. net
  3. Fixed seats and mixed rooms
  4. Egress width: inches per occupant
  5. How many exits: 2, 3 or 4
  6. Exit separation: half or a third of the diagonal
  7. Travel distance and common path
  8. Corridors: rating and dead ends
  9. Doors: swing, width and panic hardware
  10. Stairs, handrails and guards in numbers
  11. Interior exit stairways and their enclosure
  12. Exit discharge and egress lighting
VIStep 5: Rated Assemblies and Fire Protection · pp. 46-53
  1. Fire wall, fire barrier, fire partition, smoke barrier
  2. Horizontal assemblies and shafts
  3. Penetrations: F rating and T rating
  4. Opening protectives: door rating vs. wall rating
  5. Fire and smoke dampers: where they go
  6. Interior finishes: Class A, B, C
  7. Fire areas and when sprinklers are required
  8. Fire alarm, standpipes and extinguishers on the plan
VIIStep 6: Accessibility · pp. 54-59
  1. Scoping vs. technical: IBC Ch. 11 and ICC A117.1
  2. The accessible route and turning space
  3. Doors: clear width and maneuvering clearance
  4. Ramps and landings
  5. Accessible toilet room
  6. Parking, entrances and reach ranges
VIIIBeyond the 6 Steps · pp. 60-63
  1. Structural loads you check on a plan
  2. Special buildings in Chapter 4
  3. Interior environment: ceilings, light and ventilation
  4. Exterior envelope and energy: where they fit
IXPractice and Review · pp. 64-69
  1. One plan reviewed start to finish
  2. Writing a correction comment the architect can't argue with
  3. Where to place your tabs in the open-book exam
  4. The most frequent plan review mistakes
  5. Quick-review sheet: numbers to know without opening the book
  6. Exam-day method: find, don't memorize

One Page, One Topic, All Clear

Think of it this way:

A permit set lands on your desk: a store on the ground floor, offices upstairs. Before you check anything else, you need the occupancy, because every other answer depends on it.

You open the book to the occupancy page and see ten small buildings, one per letter, A, B, E, F, H, I, M, R, S, U, with Section 302.1 written underneath.

Stairs: risers 4–7 in, treads 11 in, handrails 34–38 in, guards 42 in

Same with construction types, allowable area, occupant load, door vs. wall ratings and the accessible toilet room: each one on its own page.

Building Plans Examiner Illustrated is 9 parts and 65 topics, all drawn, and at the end one full plan reviewed start to finish, a page on where to place your first code tabs and a quick-review sheet.

What you see drawn, you don't have to memorize.

What's Inside Building Plans Examiner Illustrated:

Ipp. 5-10

How the Code and the Exam Work

Why an open-book exam still runs out of time, the 6-step review order, the IBC chapter map, how to read a section and its exceptions, key Chapter 2 definitions and Chapter 1 permits.

IIpp. 11-18

Step 1: Occupancy Classification

The 10 occupancy groups, A-1 to A-5, the B/E/M pairs, R and I groups, F, S and H, small assembly rooms, accessory occupancies and mixed occupancies.

IIIpp. 19-24

Step 2: Construction Type

Types I to V as five buildings, Table 601 row by row, fire separation distance, exterior wall ratings, openings and Type IV mass timber.

IVpp. 25-33

Step 3: Allowable Height and Area

Grade plane and height on a section, stories above grade, the height and area tables, frontage increase, two worked examples, mezzanines and unlimited area buildings.

Vpp. 34-45

Step 4: Means of Egress

Exit access to exit discharge, occupant load, egress width, number of exits, exit separation, travel distance, corridors, doors, stairs, exit stairways and egress lighting.

VIpp. 46-53

Step 5: Rated Assemblies and Fire Protection

Fire walls to smoke barriers, shafts, penetrations, door vs. wall ratings, dampers, interior finishes, sprinkler thresholds, alarms and standpipes.

VIIpp. 54-59

Step 6: Accessibility

Scoping vs. technical, the accessible route and turning space, door clearances, ramps, the accessible toilet room, parking, entrances and reach ranges.

VIIIpp. 60-63

Beyond the 6 Steps

Structural loads on a plan, Chapter 4 special buildings, interior environment, exterior envelope and energy.

IXpp. 64-69

Practice and Review

One plan reviewed start to finish, correction comments, tab placement, the most frequent mistakes, a quick-review sheet and the exam-day method.

At the end of the book: One plan reviewed start to finish, a tab placement guide and a quick-review sheet of numbers to know.

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Plus: 2 Free Books

Plans Examiner Practice Questions: exam-style questions with the code chapter for every answer

BONUS 1: «Plans Examiner Practice Questions: exam-style questions with the code chapter for every answer»

Value on its own: US$ 17.90

Practice like the real open-book exam: answer, then check which chapter and section you should have opened, so you get faster at finding answers, not just knowing them.

The 15 Most Common Plan Review Mistakes, Drawn Before & After

BONUS 2: «The 15 Most Common Plan Review Mistakes, Drawn Before & After»

Value on its own: US$ 14.90

See the errors that come up most often in plan review (wrong occupancy, miscounted occupant load, missing rated penetrations) drawn side by side with the corrected version, so you catch them on the sheet.

Building Plans Examiner Illustrated with 2 Free Books

  • Building Plans Examiner Illustrated: 69 illustrated pagesUS$ 63
  • BONUS 1: Plans Examiner Practice Questions: exam-style questions with the code chapter for every answerUS$ 17.90
  • BONUS 2: The 15 Most Common Plan Review Mistakes, Drawn Before & AfterUS$ 14.90
  • High-resolution PDF to printIncluded
Total value US$ 95.80
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Who This Book Is For

You're studying for the plans examiner exam

You're studying for the plans examiner exam

You study at night after work. Each topic is one drawing, so you finish a page and know which chapter it lives in.

Your exam date is close

Your exam date is close

You review the 6 steps in the same order and practice finding answers, not memorizing them. Every page cites its code section, so you know where each answer lives.

You already review plans

You already review plans

Keep it on your desk: when an architect asks which section you're citing, the page tells you where to look.

Everything You Get Today

US$ 95.80US$ 27
YES, I WANT BUILDING PLANS EXAMINER ILLUSTRATED FOR US$ 27

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is it for me if I've spent 20 years in the field?

Yes. It doesn't teach you construction, you already know that. It shows you how to check a plan in the same 6 steps and where each answer lives in the code, which is what the open-book exam tests.

Where does the content come from?

From the IBC and ICC A117.1, in the editions named in the current ICC B3 exam bulletin. Check your bulletin before you buy. Every page cites the section number, so at work you can match it against the code your jurisdiction adopted: local or state amendments can change a requirement. It doesn't reproduce code tables or text. It explains them with drawings and its own worked examples.

Is it official material?

No. It's independent study material, not published or endorsed by the International Code Council or any building department. It doesn't give a certificate or CEU credits: certification comes only from passing the ICC exam.

Can I take it into the exam? Does it replace the code books?

No. Only the code books listed in your exam bulletin go into the testing room, and this book isn't one of them. It's for studying at home: it shows you where each answer lives, so you tab and search your own code books faster.

Are the practice questions the real exam questions?

No. They're written for this book, in the style of the exam, with the code chapter for every answer.

When and how do I get it?

The book and the 2 bonus books arrive as PDFs by email.

Do I have to pay every month?

No. It's a one-time payment.

Can I have it on paper?

Yes. The PDF is printable: print the whole book or just the pages you want on your desk.

How does the refund work?

You have 30 days. We refund everything if the file won't open, if the book isn't what you see on this page, if you were charged twice or if the email doesn't arrive: just email us.

Before You Close This Page

No more rereading with nothing sticking.

Occupancy, egress and fire ratings, each drawn on a plan with its code section.

You walk into the exam knowing which chapter and table to open first.

Drawings make studying faster.

The book is right below.

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