_Two standards changes that quietly invalidate boilerplate: the subsurface utility standard was replaced and retitled in 2022, and residential post-tensioned slabs picked up a code reference in the 2024 IRC._

ASCE 38-22 replaced ASCE 38-02

The governing document for investigating and documenting existing utilities is now ASCE/UESI/CI 38-22, Standard Guideline for Investigating and Documenting Existing Utilities. It replaced the 2002 edition, which was titled Standard Guidelines for the Collection and Depiction of Existing Subsurface Utility Data. The retitle was deliberate — meant to convey the scope more directly. 1Jump to source 12Jump to source 2

The 2022 revision keeps the four quality levels (D, C, B, A) and adds substantial commentary and examples, new and revised definitions, and provisions drawn from twenty years of use — including new material on utility attributes and on collecting and recording depths of utility features and segments. 2Jump to source 23Jump to source 3

ASCE published a companion at the same time: ASCE/UESI/CI 75-22, Standard Guideline for Recording and Exchanging Utility Infrastructure Data, which standardizes how utility data moves between CAD and GIS, including BIM workflows. 2Jump to source 2

What to change in your boilerplate

  • Replace every reference to ASCE 38-02 with ASCE/UESI/CI 38-22.
  • Specify quality levels per utility segment, not once for the whole project.
  • Say explicitly whether depths are required and by what means — the 2022 edition addresses depth recording specifically. 2Jump to source 23Jump to source 3
  • Name the utility attributes you need (material, size, condition, ownership). 2Jump to source 2
  • Where CAD/GIS interoperability matters, cite ASCE 75-22 for the exchange format. 2Jump to source 2

The 2024 IRC added a post-tensioned slab section

The 2024 International Residential Code added Section R506.2, Post-Tensioned Slab-on-Ground Floors, requiring that post-tensioned concrete slab-on-ground floors placed on expansive or stable soils be designed in accordance with PTI DC10.5. 4Jump to source 45Jump to source 5

For anyone specifying or reviewing residential foundation work in a jurisdiction that has adopted the 2024 IRC, that is a named design standard where previously the reference was less direct. It also reinforces the practical point for contractors: post-tensioned slabs on ground are a designed system, and cutting into one is a structural question rather than a demolition question.

View 5 numbered sources

Sources

  1. ASCE/UESI/CI 38-22 — Standard Guideline for Investigating and Documenting Existing Utilities — American Society of Civil Engineers — https://ascelibrary.org/doi/book/10.1061/9780784415870
  2. Newly updated ASCE 38-22 utility engineering standard and new companion standard ASCE 75-22 now available — ASCE Civil Engineering Source, July 2022 — https://www.asce.org/publications-and-news/civil-engineering-source/society-news/article/2022/07/newly-updated-asce-38-22-utility-engineering-standard-and-new-companion-standard-asce-75-22-now-available
  3. ASCE 38-22 — How the Update Fills the Gaps Left by 38-02 — T2 Utility Engineers — https://t2ue.com/news-and-events/asce-38-22-how-the-update-fills-the-gaps-in-38-02/
  4. Post-Tensioned Slab-on-Ground — code references — UpCodes — https://up.codes/s/post-tensioned-slab-on-ground
  5. PT Applications — Slab-on-Ground — Post-Tensioning Institute — https://www.post-tensioning.org/education/ptapplications/slab-on-ground.aspx

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