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Alternate materials and methods under R104.11
Oregon R104.11 is the alternate materials, design, and methods section in the 2023 ORSC. The building official may approve a material, design, or method not specifically prescribed, when it is satisfactory, complies with the intent of the code, and is not less than equivalent in quality, strength, effectiveness, fire resistance, durability, and safety (Chapter 1 PDF). If the official does not approve it, the denial is in writing, with reasons. A hallway yes is not that section.
You are holding a product that is not on the R327 menu. The question is whether the official will accept it as equivalent, not whether this site listed it.
No g3-passed exhibit exists for an AMM letter. Read Chapter 1. Do not use a house-level hub graphic as this procedure.
Why it matters
R327, where adopted, is a numbered menu. Builders still meet products the menu does not name. R104.11 is how the official can accept an equivalent. R327.1.1 is how a city adopts that wildfire section in whole. Those are different jobs. Mixing them produces either an illegal local pick-and-choose ordinance, or a job with no written alternate.
R327.1 also points modifications of that wildfire section, including remodels, at R104.10, not at R104.11. See remodels.
How the three sections split
| Section | What it is | What it is not |
|---|---|---|
| R327.1.1 | Adopt R327 in whole by ordinance | An alternate on one lot |
| R104.10 | Modification where the strict letter is impractical for an individual case | A new product path |
| R104.11 | Alternative material, design, or method, equivalent on six points | A hallway conversation |
R104.11.1 lets the official require tests as evidence of compliance, at no expense to the municipality, by an approved agency. Reports stay in the public record for the required retention period.
The paths
1. Stay on the numbered menu. If an R327 path exists, use it. Put the product on the drawings. See show the product on the drawings. OSFM listing is still usually voluntary. See listing is voluntary.
2. Ask for an R104.11 alternate. Write what you want to use, which prescribed requirement it replaces, and how it is equivalent on quality, strength, effectiveness, fire resistance, durability, and safety. Attach test reports if you have them. The official may require more tests.
3. Ask for an R104.10 modification. That is practical difficulty on an individual case, recorded in the municipality’s files. R327.1 names this section for modifying wildfire requirements on a lot or a remodel. It is not a product substitution by another name.
4. Do not treat spray-FRT as a silent AMM. Presenters said spray-applied fire retardant may need a third-party special inspector. That is inspection of an installation, not this approval. See spray-FRT special inspection.
5. California. CWUIC is a different book with its own alternate-materials machinery. Do not paste Oregon R104.11 onto a mapped California lot. See R327 versus CWUIC.
What people mix up
- Calling R104.10 and R104.11 the same hatch.
- Treating R327.1.1 as a ban on job-level alternates.
- Treating a listing ID as the AMM.
- Leaving the alternate off the drawings.
- Citing ICC commentary this page did not open.
How to check
- Read 2023 ORSC Chapter 1 R104.10 and R104.11, not a blog summary.
- Name which section you are asking for.
- Put the request and the written decision on the drawings.
- If tests were required, keep the approved-agency report with the permit file.
Limits
This page does not write your AMM letter. It does not cite ICC commentary. It does not decide what Bend or Deschutes will stamp. FireApproved is not the official. R327, where adopted, is a new-construction code. An alternate is still a permit decision.
Related records
Questions
Is an AMM a hallway yes?
No. R104.11 says the alternative has to be approved. If it is not approved, the building official shall respond in writing, stating the reasons. Put the approval on the drawings.
Can a city pick only the R327 roof rules and skip vents?
Not in the adopting ordinance. R327.1.1 is local adoption of the section in whole. That is a different sentence from an R104.11 alternate on one job.
Is R104.10 the same as R104.11?
No. R104.10 is modifications where the strict letter is impractical for an individual case. R327.1 points those wildfire modifications, including remodels, at R104.10. R104.11 is an alternative material, design, or method that still has to be equivalent.
Will a test report finish it?
R104.11.1 lets the official require tests at no expense to the municipality, by an approved agency, using this code’s methods or other recognized test standards. A report is evidence. It is not the approval.