what code are you working to?

If you are doing D1.1 work and you are talking about seams in abutting members then 5.22.3.1 covers that in the last sentence:

5.22.3.1 Girth Weld Alignment (Tubular). Abutting
parts to be joined by girth welds shall be carefully
aligned. No two girth welds shall be located closer than
one pipe diameter or 3 ft [1 m], whichever is less. There
shall be no more than two girth welds in any 10 ft [3 m]
interval of pipe, except as may be agreed upon by the
Owner and Contractor. Radial offset of abutting edges of
girth seams shall not exceed 0.2t (where t is the thickness
of the thinner member) and the maximum allowable shall
be 1/4 in. [6 mm], provided that any offset exceeding
1/8 in. [3 mm] is welded from both sides. However, with
the approval of the Engineer, one localized area per girth
seam may be offset up to 0.3t with a maximum of 3/8 in.
[10 mm], provided the localized area is under 8t in
length. Filler metal shall be added to this region to provide
a 4 to 1 transition and may be added in conjunction
with making the weld. Offsets in excess of this shall be
corrected as provided in 5.22.3. Longitudinal weld seams
of adjoining sections shall be staggered a minimum of
90°, unless closer spacing is agreed upon by the Owner
and fabricator.

choice of words implys your working to an ASME code?