Where To Look, Who To Trust

The HVAC industry has a lot of voices embracing a lot of best practices, but in general, there are a few dominant authorities you need to consider.

Here are some of the A-tier authorities in HVAC regulations and standards that every professional should have on their list of references:

• International Code Council (ICC) – The ICC is the primary authority on building codes. They are an association with over 64,000 members and describe themselves as “dedicated to developing model codes and standards used in the design, build and compliance process to construct safe, sustainable, affordable and resilient structures.” The ICC is a family of associations, with many sub-associations focused on standardizing codes for different sectors of the building industry. In general, the ICC is the big umbrella, and it’s the best place to start for the essentials of building standards and practices. For generalized building code best practices, the ICC is a crucial starting point.

  International Residential Code (IRC) – For more specific residential codes, the IRC is the place to look. These regulations set a standard that needs to be met for all one or two-family dwellings standing at three stories or less. While not specifically focused on HVAC standards, the IRC code is critical to abide by for all residential building operations and must be taken into account.

  Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) – This association is the premier resource for information regarding indoor environment systems. While much of their information is more applicable to air conditioning systems and not HVAC overall, they are still a crucial resource for any HVAC professional. As a member of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), this organization is a recognized standard-bearer across the HVAC industry.

  ASHRAE – The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) is the premier authority on sustainable building practices. Through extensive and up-to-date reports, courses, training, and conferences, ASHRAE dominates the sustainable building industry. Any professional in the HVAC industry should familiarize themselves with ASHRAE’s key handbooks, guidelines, and toolkits to ensure their personal knowledge remains on the cutting edge of healthy building technologies.

  Local Government Websites – For HVAC installation codes and regulations specific to your county, township, or district, it is often best to reach out to the local government directly. You can look up local, general building codes simply by Googling the county, township, or district, followed by “building codes and requirements.”

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General Requirements For HVAC Installations

National HVAC Standards

Across the board, there are a few standards for HVAC installations that need to be adhered to wherever you are.

The most comprehensive resource out there for nation-wide best practices is the ACCA quality standards archives. In total, they provide thorough instructions and guidelines on installation, maintenance, performance evaluation, and restoration. Click any of those words in the last sentence to check out the full ACCA documents.

These resources are completely free to download and distribute as needed. As such, they should be taken advantage of by anyone looking to find premier resources for HVAC standards and requirements.

ACCA also provides more general resources through their Standards page, which offers technical manuals, building codes, software recommendations, and more.

State By State HVAC Standards

While the ACCA standards are extensive and valuable, it is important to ensure that best practices are adhered to both by national organizations and by state policy. Below, we’ve compiled links to some state-by-state resources on HVAC standards and requirements.

Keep in mind that these are not a full list of each individual state’s HVAC laws. These are purely educational resources meant to get those interested on the right track for their specific HVAC needs.

Click on each state’s name to see the primary documentation. See links in each state’s description for further general information.