HUD and USDA’s Six-Month Delay on Enforcing 2021 IECC Rule A Win for Housing
This post has been updated.
In a win for NAHB and the housing industry, the Trump administration has announced a six-month delay in the implementation of the Biden administration’s mandatory energy code, an important step forward to help ease the nation’s housing affordability crisis.
Specifically, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Department of Agriculture (USDA) will wait an additional six months before enforcing the compliance dates for adopting the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and ASHRAE 90.1-2019 as the minimum energy-efficiency standards for certain single-family and multifamily housing programs.
“This six-month pause by HUD and USDA is an important step forward to help ease the nation’s housing affordability crisis,” said NAHB Chairman Buddy Hughes. “Compliance with this rule would make it much harder for home builders and multifamily developers to build housing that is available and affordable for American families.
In fact, the Home Innovation Research Labs has found that compliance with the 2021 IECC can add more than $20,000 to the price of a new home, but in practice, home builders have estimated increased costs of up to $31,000.
The updated compliance dates are as follows:
| Program | Initiation Event | Compliance Date |
| HOME and HTF (If HOME/HTF funding is layered with other HUD funds, the later program compliance date applies) |
Participating Jurisdiction (PJ) or HTF Grantee Funding Commitment | Nov. 28, 2024 |
| Federal Housing Administration-Insured (FHA-Insured) Multifamily | Pre-application Submitted to HUD | Nov. 28, 2025 |
| FHA-Insured Single Family | Building Permit Application | May 28, 2026 |
| Public Housing Capital Fund | HUD approvals of development proposals for new Capital Fund or mixed financed projects | Nov. 28, 2025 |
| Project Based Vouchers | To be determined in further guidance | April 1, 2026 |
| Competitive Grants (Choice Neighborhoods, Section 202, Section 811) | Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Publication | Next published NOFO after six months from the date of publication of this notice |
| All programs, persistent poverty rural areas | Based on program-specific event, above | May 28, 2026 |
| Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) | N/A | Already effective by Federal Register Notice July 27, 2023 |
NAHB commends the Trump administration for recognizing the importance of bringing down the cost of housing and will continue to pursue all avenues on the congressional, regulatory and legal fronts to overturn this harmful energy code rule.
Latest from NAHBNow
Labor | Advocacy
Sep 25, 2026
NAHB Responds as Immigration Enforcement Keeps Legal Workers Off Job Sites
As the housing industry faces a severe labor shortage, NAHB members report that increased immigration enforcement and jobsite raids are heightening worker fears and further straining the construction labor pool.
Advocacy
Sep 24, 2026
NAHB Helps Kick Off Innovative Housing Showcase on the National Mall
NAHB Chairman Bill Owens was on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., yesterday to help open the 2026 Innovative Housing Showcase, an annual event presented by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Latest Economic News
Economics
Sep 25, 2026
State and Local Government Tax Revenue Grows
Total tax revenue collected by state and local governments was up 5.8% from a year ago in the second quarter, according to the Quarterly Summary of State and Local Government Tax Revenue published by the U.S. Census Bureau. This was the highest year-over-year growth since the third quarter of 2024 (7.2%).
Economics
Sep 24, 2026
New Home Sales Rise as Affordability Challenges Continue
New home sales improved in August, but the monthly gain masked continued weakness in the broader new-home market. Elevated mortgage rates and ongoing affordability challenges continue to constrain demand, with new home sales remaining below last year’s pace and year-to-date sales lower than in 2025.
Economics
Sep 24, 2026
Single-Family Detached Homes Still Dominate Among the 55+ Population
Adults ages 55 and older make up a large and growing share of the U.S. population and play an important role in the U.S. housing market. In 2024, around 103 million Americans were ages 55 or older, ranging from adults still in the labor force to retirees.