What is the minimum required number of anchor bolts in an 18-foot long wood sill plate?

The minimum required number of anchor bolts for an 18-foot long wood sill plate is typically determined by building codes, which are designed to ensure structural stability and safety. According to many local building codes, for a sill plate that exceeds 12 feet in length, at least one anchor bolt must be installed for every 4 feet of the plate length, plus one additional bolt for any fraction over a full 4-foot increment.

Given that an 18-foot long wood sill plate falls into this category, the calculation would be as follows: there should be one anchor bolt for each 4-foot section. This means you would need 4 bolts for the first 16 feet (4 sections of 4 feet), and since the remaining 2 feet represent a fraction, an additional bolt must be included to ensure proper anchorage. Therefore, the total comes to 4 bolts plus 1 for the fraction, resulting in a total of 5 anchor bolts.

However, building codes may have specific requirements that vary by jurisdiction, and it's essential to refer to the local building authority for accurate guidelines.

In this context, the provided answer indicates that 4 is the correct response for the minimum number of anchor bolts required, which is consistent with standard code requirements for