Building Codes and Regulations

Fires involving ordinary combustible materials like wood, cloth, rubber, and plastics.

Fires involving combustible liquids, such as gasoline, oil, and grease.

Fires involving energized electrical equipment.

Fires involving combustible metals, such as sodium, magnesium, and potassium.

A visual or audible signal used to alert occupants during a fire.

The greatest allowable vertical distance between two floors where stairways lead.

Minimum width needed for exit corridors serving 50 or more people.

Maximum distance people must travel to reach an exit; varies depending on if the area is protected by sprinkler systems or not.

A piece of land on which a building and its accessories are situated or can be situated, along with necessary open spaces.

The specific location of a building on a parcel of land.

The time frame for issuing a building permit after the applicant pays required fees, as per National Building Code.

A building permit becomes invalid if the building project isn't started or completed within a given period.

A house intended only for the owner's family, made from local materials (e.g., bamboo, nipa).

A building official needs to be a Filipino citizen, registered architect or engineer, a member of a professional organization, and have relevant experience in building and design.

A law, possibly related to the rules and standards for housing projects.

A building permit becomes invalid (expires) if construction isn't started or isn't completed within a specific time frame.

Structures costing less than PHP 15,000 are exempt from building permit fees.

Applications require at least four sets of submitted plans, signed by engineers (mechanical and electrical) for mechanical and electrical portions respectively, unless the Building Official waives these requirements.

Group A dwellings should occupy no more than ninety percent of a corner lot.

Group A dwellings should occupy no more than eighty percent of the inside lot. They must also meet setback requirements (at least 1 meter from the property line).

Changes in structure or use cannot be made until a Certificate of Occupancy is obtained from the Building Official.

Footings must be strong enough to support the structure and must be at least a minimum thickness (in mm) beneath the ground level. This depth varies.

Group A Dwellings must be at least 1.5 meters from the property line to comply with setback, sunlight, and views regulations.

Building plans specifically for electrical and mechanical components MUST be signed and sealed by a registered electrical or mechanical engineer respectively, unless exempt by the Building Official.

Shower receptors must have a dam, curb, or threshold at least 25.4mm lower than the surrounding floor.

The bottom of any water pipe must be at least 0.6 meters above the top of any sewer or drain line.

Water service yard piping must be at least 0.6 meters below the finished ground level.

Gravity supply tank vents require screened openings of between 12mm and 14mm, and between 16mm and 20mm respectively for different dimensions of mesh.

Control gate valves should be placed before each water-supplied appliance, or every 15 meters.

All required shut-off or control valves must be readily accessible for maintenance.

Tank vent pipe area shouldn't be smaller than the down-feed riser pipe area.

Fittings with multiple inlets should prevent discharge from one inlet from entering another.

The barrel of a double sanitary tee fitting needs to be at least one pipe size larger than its largest inlet.

Water closets are counted as 3 fixture units for septic tank sizing.

For continuous flow (e.g., sump pump), 2 fixture units are allowed for every 0.75 L/s of flow.

Two fixtures close together can share a single drain pipe if they drain separately into a double sanitary tee.

Horizontal drainage lines must enter a vertical stack using a combination wye and 1/8 bend, or an equivalent fitting.

Galvanized pipes must be kept a minimum of 600 mm above ground.

Building drain or sewer piping should never use galvanized materials above ground or when pressurized.

Closet rings must be fastened with corrosive-resistant fasteners to the floor, with the top surface at least 7.62 mm above the finish floor.

The top of a deep seal trap has a specific diameter opening at its highest point, acting as a siphon breaker.

Connections, also known as tailpieces, should be as short as possible, and in no case exceed a certain length.

A system of vertical pipes in a building, allowing fire hose connections on each floor to provide water as needed, during a fire.

A device in HVAC ducts that prevents fire and smoke spread, automatically closing upon heat or smoke detection.

Fires involving flammable liquids and gases.

A system designed to stop the spread of fires through a network of piping with automatically releasing water when activated by heat or combustion.

The act of providing or removing air in a particular space; can be natural or mechanical. This process involves supplying or removing conditioned and refreshing air to a space.

The active principle of burning, characterized by heat and light of combustion.