An ICC-ES report (ESR-XXXX number) is the third-party code-compliance evaluation a foam product must hold for permitted residential use. Cincinnati homeowners should ask the installer for the specific ESR number and check that the product family and assembly match the install they received.
More detail
ICC-ES (International Code Council Evaluation Service) issues product-specific reports confirming a building product meets the requirements of the IRC, IBC, IECC, and other model codes. For spray foam, the report number (ESR-3526, ESR-1826, ESR-4032, and similar) covers the chemistry of a specific foam product family from a specific manufacturer and lists the approved applications, the thermal barriers required, and the assemblies the product can be used in. Reading the report: section 2.0 identifies the product. Section 3.0 covers physical properties (density, R-value per inch, water-vapor permeance, fire performance class). Section 4.0 lists approved uses (wall cavities, attics, crawl spaces, etc.). Section 5.0 lists conditions of use including ignition-barrier or thermal-barrier requirements. The Cincinnati relevance: building inspectors in Hamilton, Butler, Warren, and Clermont counties accept ICC-ES-evaluated products for permitted projects without additional product testing. Northern Kentucky counties (Campbell, Kenton, Boone) follow the same convention. Homeowners benefit by: (1) verifying the installer used a code-evaluated product (any reputable installer can produce the ESR number); (2) confirming the R-value claimed on the closeout package matches the ESR table; (3) checking that the thermal barrier or ignition barrier requirement was met. The ESR number lives on the foam-product data sheet that ships with every drum. Installers using non-evaluated or generic foam should be avoided; the savings on product cost translate directly into permit and inspection trouble down the line.