The paper reviews the seismic strength design provisions for reinforced concrete (RC) bridge piers given in American, Japanese, New Zealand, and Indian codes. In seismic design of RC compression members like piers, ductility can be ensured through adequate transverse reinforcement calculated based on capacity design concept. The comparison of the available Indian code provisions with those of the international ones indicates that earthquake resistant design of piers is not formally addressed in the Indian codes. The paper is presented in two parts; the first presented here, reviews the strength and ductility design provisions in the Indian code in the light of the provisions in some of the international codes. The second part, to be published later, deals with the numerical investigation of the RC bridge piers designed to conform to the current Indian code provisions.