Section 12.6 provisions of ACI 318-08 detail the development of headed and mechanically anchored deformed bars for the first time in the Code series. Prior to this, Joint ACI-ASCE Committee 352 published design recommendations for headed reinforcement used in reinforced concrete beam-column joints (ACI 352R-02). However, both ACI 318-08 and 352R-02 are based on quite limited experimental research. Given this concerti, these ACI standards and recommendations were evaluated using an extensive database encompassing most available test data for reinforced concrete beam-column joints with headed bars subjected to reversed cyclic loading. The primary objectives of this study are to document the experimental investigations in a uniform format; provide a detailed review for the test data; and, finally, propose design guidelines to supplement ACI 352R-02 and 318-08 on the subject of headed bars anchored in beam-column joints.