National Building Code of the Philippines
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National Building Code of the Philippines PD 1096
It is the policy of the State declared to safeguard life, health, property and public welfare,
consistent with the principles of sound environment management and control. Provides for
Declaration of Policy of PD 1096 all buildings and structures, a framework of minimum standards and requirements to regulate
and control their location, site, design, quality of materials, construction, use, occupancy and
maintenance.
It is the exception to the scope and application of the National Building Code known as BP
Economic & Social Housing Project
220
It is the official who approves the applicable and consistent provisions of the allied professional
DPWH Secretary codes and other government agency codes that shall serve as referral codes of the PD 1096
& IRR
It is any new construction which increases the height and/or floor area of existing buildings
Addition
or structures
It refers to any of the various units of the government including a department, bureau, office,
Agency of the Government
instrumentality or government owned or controlled corporation.
It is the works in buildings or structures involving changes in the materials used, partitioning,
Alteration location or size of openings, structural parts, existing utilities and equipment but does not
increase the building height and/or floor area.
It is the preformatted prescribed application form duly accomplished and notarized by
Application Forms respective design professional with validation matrices related to other building rules and
regulations.
It is also known as the permittee. It is any person, firm, partnership, corporation, head of
Applicant government or private institution of any character applying for the issuance of permits and
certificates.
Building Official It is the executive officer of the OBO appointed by the secretary
It is a document issued by the building official to owner or
Building Permit
applicant to proceed with construction.
It is all on-site work done in the site preparation, excavation, foundation, assembly of al com-
Construction
ponents and installation of utilities, machineries and equipment of building and structures.
It is a change in the use of occupancy of buildings or structures or any portion which has
Conversion
different requirements
Demolition It is the systematic dismantling of destruction of a building or structure in whole or in part.
Department of Public Works and Highways DPWH
It is the transfer of building or structures or portions from the original location or position to
Moving
another, either within the same lot or to a different one.
It is the office authorized to enforce the provisions of the building code and rules and
Office of the Building Official
regulations in the field as well as the enforcement of orders and decisions made.
It is the applicable provisions of the various agency and technical professional codes that are
Referral Codes
supplementary to the code.
It is any physical change made on buildings or structures to increase the value, quality, and/or
Renovation
to improve the aesthetic.
It is the remedial work done on any damaged or deteriorated portions of a building or
Repair
structure to restore it to its original condition.
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National Building Code of the Philippines
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Secretary He is the head or the chief executive officer of the DPWH
National Building Code Development Office NBCDO
They shall serve as the technical staff of the secretary. They assist in administration and
enforcement of the provisions, review evaluate and take action on various technical and legal
National Building Code Development Office
problems, conduct seminars and workshops and undertake other duties assigned by the
secretary.
It means a dwelling intended for use and occupancy by a family of the owner only and
Traditional Indigenous Family Dwelling constructed of native materials such as bamboo, nipa, logs or lumber of which does exceed
a total cost of P15,000
The secretary or his duly authorized representative may prescribe and impose fines not
P 10,000
exceeding this amount in the imposition of administrative fees.
P 5,000 It is the amount of fine for light violations of the code.
P 8,000 It is the amount of fine for less grave violations of the code.
P 10,000 It is the amount of fine for grave violations of the code.
It is the percentage of the amount of penalty or surcharge for excavation for foundation
10% of the Building Permit Fee
without any permit.
It is the percentage of the amount of penalty or surcharge for construction of foundation
25% of the Building Permit Fee
including pile driving and laying of reinforcing bars without any permit.
It is the percentage of the amount of penalty or surcharge for the construction of superstruc-
50% of the Building Permit Fee
ture up to 2.00 meters above established grade without any permit.
It is the percentage of the amount of penalty or surcharge for the construction of superstruc-
100% of Building Permit Fee
ture higher than 2.00 meters without any permit.
It is the number of days a surcharge of 25% of the inspection fee will be imposed if there is a
30 Days
failure to pay the annual inspection fee.
It is the maximum number of years prescribed in the penal provisions to any person, firm
2 Years or corporation for violation of the provisions of the code or commit any act declared to be
unlawful.
It is the maximum amount in pesos prescribed in the penal provisions to any person, firm
P 20,000 or corporation for violation of the provisions of the code or commit any act declared to be
unlawful.
It is a building declared as structurally unsafe or not provided with safe egress or which
Dangerous Buildings
constitutes to a fire hazard or are otherwise dangerous to human life.
These are duly signed and sealed by the corresponding professionals and the plans specifi-
Ancillary Permits
cations shall be submitted together with the duly notarized application for the Building Permit.
These are issued by the Building Official for accessory parts of the project with very special
Accessory Permits functions or use which are indicated in the plans and specification that accompany the
Building Permit application.
Geodetic Engineer He is the professional responsible for signed and sealed lot survey plans.
Civil Engineer He is the professional responsible for signed and sealed civil or structural documents
It is the number of years a building permit issued shall expire and become null and void if
1 year
the building or work does not commence.
The building permit issued shall expire and become null and void if the building or work is
120 days
suspended or abandoned after a number of days.
15 days
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Within this number of days from the date of receipt of advice of the non-issuance, suspension
or revocation of permits, the application or permittee may file an appeal with the Secretary.
Type 1 It is the type of construction made of wood construction.
It is the type of construction made of wood construction with protective fire-resistant materials
Type 2 and one-hour fire-resistive throughout, except, that permanent non-bearing partitions may
use fire-retardant treated wood within the framing assembly with one-hour resistivity.
It is the type of construction made of masonry and wood construction and the building
Type 3 is of one-hour fire-resistive throughout and exterior walls are of combustible fire-resistive
construction
It is the type of construction made of steel, iron, concrete, or of masonry construction and
Type 4
walls, ceiling and permanent partitions are of combustible, fire-resistive constriction.
It is the type of construction that is of four-hour fire-resistive throughout and the structural
Type 5
elements are of steel, iron, concrete or masonry construction
It is the area within which only certain type of building / structures are permitted to be
Fire Zones
constructed based on their use or occupancy, type of construction and resistance to fire.
Group A It is the classification of occupancy for residential dwellings.
It is the division of Group A occupancy that includes residential building / structures for
Division 1
exclusive use of single family occupants including school or company staff housing.
It is the division of Group A occupancy that includes residential building / structures for
Division 2 exclusive use of occupants not exceeding 10 personals including single attached or duplex or
townhouses.
Group B It is the classification of occupancy for Residential, Hotels and Apartments
Group C It is the classification of occupancy for Education and Recreation
It is the classification of occupancy for Institutions such as mental hospitals, nurseries for
Group D
full-time care of children or nursing homes for ambulatory patients.
It is the classification of occupancy for business use and mercantile use such as gasoline
Group E filling and service stations, wholesale and retail stores and aircraft hangars and open parking
garages.
It is the classification of occupancy for industrial use such as ice plants, power plants, pumping
Group F
plants, cold storage, creameries and the like.
It is the classification of occupancy for storage and hazardous use such as storing and handling
Group G of highly flammable material, wood working establishments, repair garages and aircraft repair
hangars
It is the classification of occupancy for assembly building with a stage and an occupant load
Group H
of less than 1000.
It is the classification of occupancy for assembly building with a stage and an occupant load
Group I
of more than 1000
750 MM It is the clear width of stairs
200 MM It is the maximum height of a riser
200 MM It is the minimum run of a thread.
2.40 MTRS It is the minimum ceiling height for habitable rooms provided with artificial ventilation.
2.70 MTRS It is the minimum ceiling height of the first story for a multi-story building.
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2.40 MTRS It is the minimum ceiling height of the second story for a multi-story building.
It is the minimum ceiling height for all succeeding story with an unobstructed typical
2.10 MTRS
head-room clearance.
1.80 MTRS It is the minimum ceiling height for mezzanine floors.
6 SQ MTRS It is the minimum room size for habitation with a least dimension of 2 MTRS
3 SQ MTRS It is the minimum room size of a kitchen with a least dimension of 1.50 MTRS.
1.20 SQ MTRS It is the minimum room size of a toilet and bath with a least dimension of 900 MM
3 CU MTRS It is the minimum air space provided for school rooms with 1 SQ MTR of floor area per person.
12 CU MTRS It is the minimum air space provided per person for workshops, factories and offices.
14 CU MTRS It is the minimum air space per person provided for habitable rooms
The quality of drinking water from meteoric surface or underground sources shall conform to
National Standards for Drinking Water Standards
the criteria set in this latest approved standards.
Water Code of the Philippines PD 1067
The water piping installation of water supply and distribution to each fixture including the
Revised National Plumbing Code of the Philippines wastewater drainage with proper venting inside the building and premises, shall conform to
the provision of this code.
It is the minimum clearance between the established grade of the street and/or sidewalk and
3 MTRS
lowest under surface of any part of the balcony.
3 MTRS It is the clear height of an arcaded pedestrian walkway.
It is also known as a canopy. It is a permanent roofed structure above a door attached to and
Marquee
supported by the building and projecting over a wall or sidewalk.
300 MM It is the horizontal clearance between the outermost edge of the marquee and the curb line.
It is the vertical clearance between the pavement or ground line and the undersurface of any
3 MTRS
part of the marquee.
It is a movable shelter supported entirely from an exterior wall of a building and of a type
Awning
which can be retracted, folded or collapsed against the face of a supporting building.
300 MM It is the horizontal clearance between the awning and the curb line.
It is the vertical clearance between the undermost surface of the awning and the pavement
2.40 MTRS
or ground line.
It is a non-structural facing of brick, concrete, tile, metal, plastic, glass or other similar
Veneer materials attached to a backing or structural components of a building for the purpose of
ornamentation, protection or enclosure.
900 MM It is the minimum width of an exit door
2 MTRS It is the minimum height of an exit door
1.20 MTRS It is the maximum door leaf width of an exit door.
1.10 MTRS It is the minimum width for every corridor or exit balcony.
1.10 MTRS It is the minimum width of a stairway serving an occupant load of more than 50
900 MM It is the minimum width of a stairway serving an occupant load of less than 50
It is the minimum width of a stairway serving a private stairway with an occupant load of less
750 MM
than 10
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It is the minimum dimension of every landing measured in the direction of travel equal to the
1.20 MTRS
width of the stairway when the stairs has a straight run.
3.60 MTRS It is the minimum vertical distance between landings.
800 MM It is the minimum height of the handrail above the nosing tread.
900 MM It is the maximum height of the handrail above the nosing tread.
2 MTRS It is the minimum headroom clearance for stairway.
800 MM It is the minimum width of an aisle serving only one side.
1 MTR It is the minimum width of an aisle serving two sides.
1.10 MTRS It is the minimum width of side aisles.
It is the minimum distance of the line of travel to an exit door in areas occupied by seats and
45 MTRS
in Groups H and I occupancies without seats.
7 seats It is the maximum number of seats between an aisle and a wall.
14 seats It is the maximum number of seats between aisles.
840 MM It is the minimum back-to-back distance of seats in standard seating and spacing of rows.
450 MM It is the minimum width of seats.
2.70 MTRS It is the fixed height of stands if stands are made of combustible framing.
It is the minimum spacing of rows of seats without backrest measured form back-to-back in
600 MM
open air stands.
It is the minimum spacing of rows of seats with backrest measured form back-to-back in open
750 MM
air stands.
850 MM It is the minimum spacing of rows of chair seating in an open air space.
It is the minimum space between the back of each seat and the front of the seat immediately
300 MM
behind it.
400 MM It is the maximum rise from one row of seats to the next.
It is the minimum number of seats between any seat and an aisle for open air stands with
15 seats
seats without backrests.
Philippine Electrical Engineering Law RA 7920
Philippine Mechanical Engineering Law RA 8495
It is the minimum dimension size of openings glazed with approved plastics where one person
600 SQ MM
could pass through.
It is the minimum thickness of a regular plate, sheet or patterned glass in a jalousie or louvered
5.6 MM
window with exposed edges smoothened.
It is the maximum length of a regular plate, sheer or patterned glass in a jalousie or louvered
1.20 MTRS
window with exposed edges smoothened.
5.6 MM It is the minimum thickness of glass used for bathtub and shower glass enclosures.
It is the minimum thickness of glass used, if tempered, for bathtub and shower glass enclo-
4.6 MM
sures.
It is the minimum thickness of glass used, if laminated safety glass, for bathtub and shower
6.4 MM
glass enclosures.
It is the maximum dimension of which signs shall not exceed on non-arcaded streets and
1.20 MTRS
measured horizontally from the wall line or building line.
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It is the height clearance measured from the finished road surface that shall be provided below
3 MTRS
the lowest parts of signs projecting over sidewalks on buildings without arcades.
It is the minimum clearance provided below the lowest part of signs projecting over arcaded
5 MTRS
streets.
It is the clear distance between the signboards erected on one building over roadways or
4 MTRS
publics streets.
It is the minimum clear distance between a signboard and an electric and telephone post or
1 MTR
wire.
It is the maximum extension from the wall of an outdoor display sign placed against the front
300 MM
exterior surface of buildings.
It is the distance between the lowest portion of the outdoor display sign placed against the
3 MTRS
front of an exterior surface and the surface of the sidewalk.
1 MTR It is the allowable clear width of a vent well in an opening in an abutment or firewall.
3 MTRS It is the maximum width of a passageway for public use.
It is the minimum clearance between the lowest part of the balcony and the level of the main
1.20 MTRS
floor.
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