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National Standard Residential Building Contractor (C)

ICC Exam Workbook Sample Questions

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13. What is the maximum span for a girder constructed of 3 2X10s Douglas fir-larch a building 24 feet wide and supporting the roof, ceiling and two clear span floors? The ground snow load in the area is 30 psf.

A. 4 feet 9 inches
B. 6 feet 4 inches
C. 5 feet 8 inches
D. 7 feet 6 inches



14. Glazing in walls, enclosures or fences containing or facing hot tubs, spas, whirlpools, saunas, steam rooms, bathtubs, showers and indoor or outdoor swimming pools where the bottom exposed edge of the glazing is less than ____ inches measured vertically above any standing or walking surface shall be considered a hazardous location. Exceptions ignored.

A. 96
B. 72
C. 60
D. 48



15. Flue lining systems for gas appliances shall be in accordance with Chapter _____ of the IRC (International Residential Code)

A. 20
B. 23
C. 24
D. 27
16. Where a masonry or metal rain cap is installed on a masonry chimney, the net free area under the cap must not be less than ______________ the net free area of the outlet of the chimney flue it serves.

A. two times
B. three times
C. four times
D. ten times
E. none of these


17. What is the maximum span for a header constructed of 2 2X6s southern pine in building 36 feet wide and supporting the roof and ceiling? The ground snow load is 50 psf.

A. 3 feet 3 inches
B. 4 feet 1 inches
C. 3 feet 6 inches
D. 4 feet 8 inches



18. The minimum width and depth for concrete and masonry footings for a 2 story slab on grade light frame construction dwelling where the soil load bearing value is 2000 psf is ________ inches. The snow load or live roof load is 50 psf.

A. 12 x 6
B. 18 x 8
C. 24 x 8
D. 30 x 12


19. A home is getting a makeover with painting, papering, tiling, carpeting, cabinets, counter tops and new wood work. What is needed to comply with the code as far as permits are concerned.

A. no permit is needed
B. permit must be obtained
C. a permit is only needed for the cabinet work
D. none of the above


20. Ceilings in basements without habitable spaces must have a minimum height ______________ from the finished floor.

A. 6 feet, 10 inches
B. 6 feet, 10 inches
C. 6 feet, 4 inches
D. 6 feet, 8 inches




21. Garage floor surfaces must be made of approved __________________ material.

A. noncombustible
B. concrete
C. asphalt or concrete
D. cement


22. What is the minimum thickness for a concrete slab-on-ground floor in inches?

A. 4.5
B. 4
C. 3
D. 3.5



23. Which of the following is not listed as contained on a certificate of occupancy.

A. The name of the contractor
B. Any special stipulations and conditions of the building permit.
C. The name of the building official.
D. The building permit number.





24. The minimum width of a hallway shall be not less than ________________.

A. 3 feet
B. 38 inches
C. 36 inches
D. 42 inches
E. A or C



25. All foam plastic or foam plastic cores used as a component in manufactured assemblies used in building construction shall have a flame-spread rating of not more than ______ and shall have a smoke-developed rating of not more than _______. Exceptions ignored.

A. 75, 450
B. 450, 75
C. 100, 350
D. 350, 100



26. For required braced wall lines, if they have a length of ____________ or less they must have a minimum of two braced wall panels of any length or one braced wall panel equal to _____________ or more. Braced wall lines greater than ____________ must have a minimum of two braced wall panels.

A. 16 feet (4877 mm) , 48 inches (1219 mm), 16 feet (4877 mm)
B. 16 feet (4877 mm) , 16 feet (4877 mm), 16 feet (4877 mm)
C. 16 feet (4877 mm) , 48 inches (1219 mm), 48 inches (1219 mm)
D. 48 inches (1219 mm) , 48 inches (1219 mm), 16 feet (4877 mm)




27. Risers may be vertical or sloped from the underside of the leading edge of the tread above at an angle not more than ________ degrees from the vertical.

A. 15
B. 30
C. 45
D. 60
28. What is the minimum amount that wood rafters or ceiling joists must bear on masonry or concrete walls?

A. 1.5 inches
B. 2 inches
C. 3 inches
D. 4 inches



29. What is the maximum allowable span for SS Douglas fir-larch 2X6 floor joist space 12 inches OC with a live load of 30 psf and a dead load of 10 psf, in residential sleeping areas?

A. 10 feet 8 inches
B. 10 feet 10 inches
C. 12 feet 6 inches
D. 12 feet 10 inches



30. Where there is a conflict in the code between a general requirement and a specific requirement, the __________ requirement will be the one that applies.

A. specific
B. general
C. most general
D. least specific



31. The minimum width and depth for concrete and masonry footings for a 3 story with basement light frame construction dwelling where the soil load bearing value is 1500 psf is ________ inches. The snow load or live roof load is 50 psf.

A. 12 x 6
B. 12 x 12
C. 18 x 8
D. 28 x 9


32. Habitable rooms in each dwelling unit must have at least _________ square feet of gross floor area.

A. 70
B. 100
C. 120
D. 180


33. What are the required steel reinforcement rods for an 9.5 inch thick concrete foundation wall with a height of 8 feet with a unbalanced backfill height of 7 feet constructed in GM soil.

A. #4 at 24″ o.c.
B. #4 at 32″ o.c.
C. #6 at 32″ o.c.
D. Not Required


34. In dwelling units, where the top of the sill of an operable window opening is located less than 24 inches above the finished floor and greater than 72 inches above the finished grade or other surface below on the exterior of the building, the operable window must comply with which of the following:

A. Operable window with openings will not allow a 4-inch-diameter (102 mm) sphere to pass through where the openings are in their largest opened position.
B. Operable windows that are provided with window fall prevention devices that comply with ASTM F2090.
C. Operable windows that are provided with window opening control devices that comply with Section R312.2.2.
D. Any of those above


35. Load-bearing headers __________ in interior or exterior nonbearing walls.

A. are required
B. are not required
C. do not have to be doubled
D. have to be doubled
E. none of these

36. What is the maximum allowable span for cold-formed steel joists size 1200S162-54 loaded with a live load of 40 PSF and spaced 19.2 inches OC?

A. 20′- 0″
B. 19′-6″
C. 21′-3″
D. 17′-6″


37. A single flat 2X4 member may be used as a header in interior or exterior nonbearing walls for openings up to _____ feet in width if the vertical distance to the parallel nailing surface above is not more than _____ inches.

A. 4, 12
B. 8, 24
C. 6, 18
D. 5, 24


38. Bathtub and shower floors and walls above bath tubs with installed shower heads and in shower compartments must be finished with _______________________________________________________________ .

A. ceramic tile or plastic coating
B. glass, tile, marble or other hard material
C. a nonabsorbent surface
D. a watertight enclosure



39. What are the required steel reinforcement rods for an 8 inch thick masonry foundation wall with a height of 6 feet 8 inches with an unbalanced backfill height of 5 feet constructed in sandy gravel soil?

A. #3 at 48″ o.c.
B. #4 at 48″ o.c.
C. #4 at 60″ o.c.
D. #4 at 72″ o.c.




40. Handrail height, measured above the finished surface of the ramp slope, must be not less than _____ inches and not more than _____ inches.

A. 30, 42
B. 34, 40
C. 36, 42
D. 34, 38



41. The minimum width and depth for concrete and masonry footings for a 3 story plus basement 8-inch solid or fully grouted masonry construction dwelling where the soil load bearing value is 1500 psf is ________ inches. The snow load or live roof load is 30 psf.

A. 14 x 6
B. 25 x 8
C. 30 x 10
D. 44 x 17


42. _____________________________ as required by the code, shall be available on the job site at the time of inspection.

A. General Contractors license
B. A list of contractors & sub-contractors
C. Inspection certificates
D. Manufacturer’s installation instructions



43. _________ glazing in railings above a walking surface are hazardous locations.

A. All
B. 30 inch high
C. 24 inch high
D. 60 inch high




44. The building official will issue all necessary _______________ to ensure compliance with the code.

A. permits
B. certificates
C. restrictions
D. notices or orders



45. Wood basement floors are to be limited to applications where the differential depth of fill on opposite exterior foundation walls is ________ feet or less, unless special provision is made to resist sliding caused by unbalanced lateral soil loads.

A. 2
B. 4
C. 5
D. 6



46. In Seismic Design Categories D 0 , D 1 and D 2, one acceptable method of reinforcing slabs-on-ground monolithically cast with turned down footings would be to place one ___________ rebar at the top and at the bottom of the footings. Exceptions ignored.

A. No. 3 bar
B. No. 4 bar
C. No. 5 bar
D. No. 6 bar



47. What are the required steel reinforcement rods for an 10 inch thick masonry foundation wall with a height of 9 feet with a unbalanced backfill height of 8 feet constructed in SC soil?

A. #4 at 24″ o.c.
B. #4 at 48″ o.c.
C. #5 at 56″ o.c.
D. #6 at 24″ o.c.
48. For the drip edge required on asphalt shingle roofs, what is the minimum overlap required for each adjacent segments of drip edge?

A. none required butt together
B. 1 inch
C. 2 inches
D. 4 inches



49. When the code refers to LIB bracing as a braced wall line method, what does LIB stand for?

A. Lateral-inline-bracing
B. Let-in-bracing
C. Lumber-inline-bracing
D. Lumber-internally-braced



50. Which of the following does not require a permit?

A. Retaining walls that are not over 4 feet in height measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, unless supporting a surcharge.
B. Water tanks supported directly upon grade if the capacity does not exceed 5,000 gallons and the ratio of height to diameter or width does not exceed 2 to 1.
C. Sidewalks and driveways.
D. Painting, papering, tiling, carpeting, cabinets, counter tops and similar finish work.
E. all of the above



51. Access must be provided to all under-floor spaces with the minimum size of openings through the floor to be ________________________ inches.

A. 16 X 22
B. 18 X 30
C. 18 X 24
D. 22 X 30

52. What is the maximum rafter span for #1 S-P-F 2X12 spaced 16 inches OC with a ground snow load of 30 PSF and a dead load of 20 PSF with the ceiling not attached to the rafters?

A. 16-6
B. 13-6
C. 23-6
D. 19-2


53. All spaces between chimneys and floors and ceilings through which chimneys pass shall be _________________ with noncombustible material securely fastened in place.

A. fireproofed
B. smokeproofed
C. fireblocked
D. any of the above



54. What is the minimum thickness of lumber floor sheathing in inches, where the floor joists are spaced 54 inches OC and is installed perpendicular to the joist?

A. 11/16 T&G
B. 3/4 T&G
C. 5/8 T&G
D. 1-1/2 T&G



55. Where joists, trusses or rafters are spaced more than 16 inches on center and the bearing studs below are spaced 24 inches on center, such members must bear within _____ inches of the studs beneath. Exceptions ignored

A. 8
B. 6
C. 5
D. 2



56. Floor systems openings in roof and ceiling framing are to be framed with header and trimmer joists. Tail joists over _____ feet long must be supported at the header by framing anchors or on ledger strips not less than 2 inches by 2 inches.

A. 8
B. 10
C. 12
D. 14



57. A one story detached accessory structures with an area of less than ___________ square feet does not require a permit.

A. 100
B. 200
C. 300
D. 400


58. Bathtub and shower floors and walls above bathtubs with installed shower heads and in shower compartments must be finished with a nonabsorbent surface that extend to a height of not less than ______ above the floor.

A. 6 feet
B. 7 feet
C. 6 feet 8 inches
D. 6 feet 10 inches


59. The bracing required for each building is to be determined by circumscribing a rectangle around the entire building on each floor. The rectangle will surround all enclosed offsets and projections such as sunrooms and attached garages. Open structures, such as carports and decks, will be permitted to be excluded. The rectangle must have no side greater than ________________, and the ratio between the long side and short side must be a maximum of _______.

A. 160 feet (18 288 mm), 3:1
B. 60 feet (18 288 mm), 3:1
C. 60 feet (18 288 mm), 4:1
D. 120 feet (18 288 mm), 6:1
60. What is the maximum allowable span for #1 Spruce-pine-fir 2X6 floor joist space 19.2 inches OC with a live load of 30 psf and a dead load of 10 psf, in residential sleeping areas?

A. 10 feet 8 inches
B. 9 feet 3 inches
C. 9 feet 6 inches
D. 9 feet 8 inches


61. Within crawlspaces required by Section R408.4, where entry is made only for purposes of repairs or maintenance, foam plastics shall be protected against ignition by _____________________________,

A. 11/2-inch-thick mineral fiber insulation or 1/4-inch hardboard
B. 1/4-inchthick wood structural panels or 3/8-inch gypsum board
C. 3/8-inch particleboard, or corrosion-resistant steel having a base metal thick-ness of 0.016 inch
D. any or all of the above


62. Within any flight of stairs, the greatest winder tread depth at the walk line shall not exceed the smallest by more than ______________ inch(es).

A. 3/8
B. 1/2
C. 4
D. 6


63. Wood framing supporting gypsum board and gypsum panel products must not be less than ____ inches nominal thickness in the least dimension except that wood furring strips not less than 1X2 inch nominal dimension may be used over solid backing or framing spaced not more than ____ inches on center.

A. 2, 24
B. 4, 16
C. 3, 16
D. 1.5, 16


64. It is be the duty of the _____________________ to notify the building official that different stages of work are ready for inspection.

A. permit holder or their agent
B. owner
C. contractor
D. none of the above



65. The maximum slope for a ramp serving _____________ is one unit vertical in12 units horizontal.

A. an egress door
B. any door
C. any entry way
D. any exit way


66. Where piping or ductwork placed in or partly in an exterior wall or interior load-bearing wall, necessitating cutting, drilling or notching of the top plate by more than 50 percent of its width, a galvanized metal tie of not less than _______ inches thick and 11/2 inches wide shall be fastened to each plate across and to each side of the opening with not less than ______ 10d nails having a minimum length of 11/2 inches (38 mm) at each side or equivalent.

A. 0.054, 8
B. 0.25, 8
C. 0.054, 6
D. 0.01, 4


67. The minimum stairway tread depth shall be _________ inches.

A. 9.25
B. 10
C. 10.5
D. 11


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