What building code does Houston, TX use?
Houston, TX currently enforces the 2021 International Building Code. Houston adopts its own code editions. The 2021 Houston Construction Code (approved by City Council Oct 25, 2023) pairs the 2021 I-Codes with the IAPMO 2021 Uniform Plumbing and Mechanical Codes (not the IPC/IMC) and the 2023 NEC; the city's code archive lists Jan 1, 2024 as the effective date while ICC reports enforcement began Jan 2, 2024.
Adopted codes
| Scope | Code | Edition |
|---|---|---|
| Building | International Building Code (with local amendments) | 2021 |
| Residential | International Residential Code (with local amendments) | 2021 |
| Fire | International Fire Code (with local amendments) | 2021 |
| Mechanical | Uniform Mechanical Code (IAPMO) (with local amendments) | 2021 |
| Plumbing | Uniform Plumbing Code (IAPMO) (with local amendments) | 2021 |
| Electrical | National Electrical Code (NFPA 70) (with local amendments) | 2023 |
| Energy | International Energy Conservation Code (with local amendments) | 2021 |
| Other | International Existing Building Code (with local amendments) | 2021 |
Current adoptions effective 2024-01-01.
Permits: Houston permitting office
Get this data as JSON
curl https://codes.submittal.app/api/v1/cities/houston.jsonConfidence: high · Verified against official sources:
- https://www.houstonpermittingcenter.org/houston-code-archive
- https://www.houstonpermittingcenter.org/building-code-enforcement/code-development
- https://www.houstontx.gov/council/committees/tti/20230824/Houston-Construction-Code-Modernization-2021-Building-Code-Adoption.pdf
- https://www.iccsafe.org/about/periodicals-and-newsroom/houstons-city-council-approves-adoption-of-the-2021-international-codes/
Part of the open building-codes dataset (CC BY 4.0). See also: Texas statewide adoptions.