Terms of Service

Last updated: August 28, 2026

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using BuildSpec ("the Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree, you may not use the Service. BuildSpec is operated by BuildSpec LLC ("we", "us", or "our").

2. Description of Service

BuildSpec provides building code reference tools, calculators, and related construction-industry resources. The Service may include free and paid subscription tiers with varying levels of access.

3. User Accounts

You must provide accurate information when creating an account. You are responsible for safeguarding your password and for all activity under your account. Notify us immediately of any unauthorized use.

4. Subscriptions, Billing and Refunds

Paid plans are billed in advance through Stripe, on a monthly or annual term. The 14-day trial runs on a free account and takes no payment method; a paid plan is charged when you complete checkout and does not begin with an additional free period.

30-day money-back guarantee. If BuildSpec is not doing the job for you, email support@buildspec.codes within 30 days of a payment and we will refund that payment in full. There is no form to complete and no retention call. Cancelling shows you at most one optional plan option — never a discount, never more than one screen — and one click past it ends the subscription; accepting a plan change does not shorten or reset these 30 days, which run from the date of the payment being refunded, so an annual subscriber has 30 days from each renewal. When a payment is refunded, the subscription is cancelled and access ends at that point — you are not charged for a period you have been given back.

Outside the guarantee window you may still cancel at any time from your account. Cancellation stops future renewals and your access continues to the end of the billing period you have already paid for; we do not automatically prorate or refund a partial period beyond the guarantee. If something has gone wrong with your subscription at any time, email support@buildspec.codes and we will sort it out.

5. Acceptable Use

You agree not to misuse the Service, including but not limited to: reverse-engineering, scraping, or redistributing content; attempting to gain unauthorized access to other accounts or systems; or using the Service for any unlawful purpose.

6. Intellectual Property & Code Content

BuildSpec publishes the full text of the 2021 editions of the model codes authored by the International Code Council (ICC) — the IBC, IRC, IFC, IPC, IMC, IFGC and IECC — to signed-in members, together with section indexes, plain-English summaries written by BuildSpec, and links to the official ICC publications. Copyright in the model codes is held by the ICC. BuildSpec claims no ownership of that text and displays it with attribution. BuildSpec does not publish text from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

The code text BuildSpec displays is the model code as published. It is not presented as the law of any particular jurisdiction: BuildSpec does not apply state or local amendments to it, and makes no representation as to which edition your jurisdiction has adopted or when. Section numbers, titles, and chapter structures are factual data and are not subject to copyright protection. Summaries appearing on BuildSpec are original works authored by BuildSpec. The official publications remain available through codes.iccsafe.org and nfpa.org, and we link to them as a convenience.

State DOT standard specifications and U.S. federal publications carried on BuildSpec — including the MUTCD, FHWA FP-24, PROWAG, 29 CFR 1926 and 49 CFR 213/237/238 — are government works. BuildSpec publishes them in full and free of charge. Proprietary standards that those documents incorporate by reference — including AASHTO, ASTM, ACI, AISC, ASHRAE, NDS, TMS, AREMA and NFPA materials — are not reproduced on BuildSpec; only the referring citation is shown.

State and local amendments shown on BuildSpec are public-domain government works. BuildSpec makes no claim of copyright over any government-authored amendment text.

7. Disclaimer

BuildSpec provides code references and calculators for informational purposes only. They do not constitute professional engineering, architectural, or legal advice. Always consult a licensed professional and verify against the official adopted code edition in your jurisdiction before making construction decisions. The model code text and BuildSpec summaries shown here are not a substitute for the code edition, with amendments, actually adopted in your jurisdiction.

8. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, BuildSpec and its affiliates shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of your use of the Service.

9. Changes to Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

10. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Contact us at support@buildspec.codes.