The acceptance and formal approval of a model code by the governing body of a jurisdiction is known as:

• A. Adoption
• B. Enactment
• C. Approval
• D. Ratification

Answer: (A)

Adoption is the act of the jurisdiction’s governing body formally accepting a model code for use in its regulations. When a model code is adopted, it becomes the basis for the local code and guides what will be required for fire safety and building standards. After adoption, the code is typically enacted into law with an effective date and is enforced by authorities having jurisdiction.

Enactment refers to the formal creation of the law itself (the step that makes it legally binding), often via ordinance or statute, which follows adoption. Approval is a more general term for agreeing to something, but it doesn’t by itself establish the code as the jurisdiction’s law. Ratification usually implies endorsement of an action already taken rather than the initial acceptance of a model code.

So the acceptance and formal approval described is adoption.