We just had the insulation inspection on our new ICF house and the inspector mentioned that we need to cover all ICF walls inside the basement in drywall as per Ontarion Building Code. I asked what is the logic behinde and he said is because ICF is not considered as a fire barrier. For me doesn't make sense; the joist are not required but the ICF yes. Any comment?

I'm not sure about Canadian codes but down here in NY it needs to be covered. That's why we load drywall in the basement before the floor goes in. You might be able to use an intumescent paint. I've done that in the past and it's passed after we gave the documentation to the BI.

Fire barrier required in Michigan also. ICF passes flame spread but barely fails smoke test.

Drywall is the norm but I had a house we sold and the inspector let us put up Tyvek in the garage to fire block the insulation. I have hear some get away with plastic if the box states it is a UL listed fire barrier. You could ask if there is other alternatives to drywall.

But , I would just throw up drywall and be done...it isn't to hard and you don't have to do it later.

Good Luck...

The problem is that National Building Code in Canada states that any exposed foam plastic in habitable living space must be covered by an effective thermal barrier. Even though the EPS foam used in the manufacturing of ICF contains a fire retardant, the products are still lumped into the broad umbrella of that code section. Acceptable products include gypsum board (no need to mud/tape), plywood, OSB, tile, plaster, etc. or any material that can pass CAN/ULC-S124 (test for combustibility of finish materials).