There is no US building code, there is state and Local Codes.
Look at it this way: you paid them a (hopefully fair) wage for their superior skill in hanging gutters.
My state building code seems to reference International Building Code. And my local building code just says follow the state code.
That does exist, however it’s not readily available. Talk to a contractor that works in fire prevention and they can point you to it.
Don’t expect getting the code to be easy. People who know it want to make money off that knowledge. There was a case recently somewhere (Texas?) where the building code was a trade secret and/or copyright of a particular company. Thus, the law was a secret to anyone who didn’t pay money. That’s obviously hella wrong. I think the good guys won in court, but I forget too many details to be able to search for it.
Your best bet for help is probably the actual library.
Nice Googling skill.
Anyway, the 2 places I care about currently, VA and PA, seem to reference the IBC. So if I learn 2018 IBC, I should be good to build anything in either place.
You generally have to check what revision is being used by the local jurisdiction and any local amendments.
Mowers for a small lawn. Which to pick:
- Gas mower
- Electric
- Old-timey rotating scissors deal
- Scythe
- Neighborhood kid
- Jungle
?
Oh, yeah. That’s what I meant by electric, but I guess regular old push electric is a challenger too.
Maybe tenth of an acre?
Used gasoline mower.
OK, so not a bunch.
Reel mowers are nice in that they don’t require fuel of some sort (be it gas or electric), but they’re a bunch of work. Have you ever used one? Seriously, tons of work. I have a small 14" one that I use to get the spots on my lawn that aren’t safe to hit with my riding mower.
Gas mowers are generally cheap and easy to manage. You could go electric, but they tend to be pricier and can have some difficulty with some yard growth.
Buy used.
I recently got a decent battery electric mower, it works well but the battery drains faster when the grass is high, so if we neglect it for too long it takes 2 charges to do the whole thing. I like basically everything else about it better than gas. But yeah, gas is cheap and easier in a lot of cases.
What about a goat or sheep? 
I 
reel mowers. The sound they make it so satisfying, but you got to keep them blades sharp.
Nothing sounds better than paying someone a fair wage to cut your lawn 
Nothing feels better than paying taxes to support a number of shared lawns provided to all. 
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The best tasting “lawns” are made of food.
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