ICC to Move Forward with 2021 Building Codes Despite NAHB Objections
The International Codes Council recently released its Final Action Report on proposed changes to Group B of its International Code, notably the International Residential Code and International Energy Conservation Code. The report did not address significant issues identified by NAHB after the online vote on the codes last fall and NAHB plans to appeal the decision.
NAHB sent a letter on Feb. 14 to ICC CEO Dominic Sims and President Greg Wheeler urging the building codes body to carefully reevaluate the validity of many approved voting officials, to reject two specific proposals as not meeting the intent of the energy code, and to reform some of its voting processes while retroactively reconsidering proposals that should not have been on the final ballot.
The results from the 2019 Online Governmental Consensus Vote, to determine 2021 building codes proposals, included several irregularities and discrepancies, specifically proposals for the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). Some aggressive energy efficiency proposals that had been defeated at prior committee hearings and public comment hearings were approved in the online vote. When proposals are defeated at both hearings, they must get greater than a two-thirds majority in the online vote to overturn past results. It's a bar so high, no previous proposal had ever met the threshold with the online vote. But in this code cycle, 20 IECC proposals cleared the hurdle and came back to life.
The ICC Final Action Report left the results as reported after the online vote. The ICC found that all of its procedures had been correctly followed in the Group B development process.
While NAHB agrees that existing procedures were followed, staff believe those procedures were exploited, putting NAHB in a position to ask ICC to reconsider these proposals through their appeals process. Further, NAHB remains concerned that many of the codes changes will greatly reduce the functionality of the 2021 IECC and significantly impact housing affordability.
The deadline for an appeal is May 8.
NAHB is looking ahead to the development cycle for the 2024 codes, and is hopeful that the shortcomings of this cycle will be corrected so that the integrity of the ICC code development process, as well as the codes themselves, can continue to be the preeminent resource they are today.
For questions about the codes development process, please contact Craig Drumheller.
Latest from NAHBNow
Economics
May 06, 2026
Mortgage Rates, Inflation and Yields All Rise in AprilMortgage rates continued to increase in April as ceasefire negotiations remain inconclusive. According to Freddie Mac, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.34% in April, 16 basis points (bps) higher than March.
Workforce Development
May 05, 2026
Philadelphia BIA Member Shifts How Local Community Views the TradesFor Jordan Parisse-Ferrarini, a member of the Building Industry Association of Philadelphia, a career that began with his family’s small business and tools from a pawn shop has flourished into multiple companies, numerous advisory roles and a passion for developing the next generation of skilled trades professionals.
Latest Economic News
Economics
May 04, 2026
Mortgage Rates Climb as Inflation Rebounds and Yields RiseMortgage rates continued to increase in April as ceasefire negotiations remain inconclusive. According to Freddie Mac, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.34% in April, 16 basis points (bps) higher than March. The average 15-year rate also increased by 13 bps to 5.69%. Despite the recent increase, both rates remain lower than a year ago by 39 bps and 21 bps, respectively.
Economics
May 01, 2026
Student Housing Construction Investment Holds Steady in the First Quarter of 2026Private fixed investment in student dormitories edged up 0.1% in the first quarter of 2026, holding at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of $3.9 billion. This modest gain marked a third consecutive quarterly increase, despite continued pressures from elevated interest rates. However, on a year-over-year basis, investments in dorms remained almost unchanged.
Economics
Apr 30, 2026
Housing’s Share of GDP Dips Below 16% for First Time Since 2019Housing’s share of the economy was 15.9% in the first quarter of 2026, according to the latest estimates of GDP produced by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. This share is down from 16.0% in the fourth quarter and is lower than 16.5% registered just one year ago.