What building code does Philadelphia, PA use?
Philadelphia, PA currently enforces the 2021 International Building Code. Philadelphia enforces the state-adopted code. Philadelphia enforces the Pennsylvania UCC (which moved to the 2021 I-Codes effective Jan 1, 2026; the pa.gov UCC page still shows stale 2018 language in places) with local amendments under Title 4 of the Philadelphia Code per L&I Bulletin B-2501, whose dual-code grace period ended July 1, 2026, while 2018-edition accessibility standards remain in force due to a 2022 Commonwealth Court injunction; the standalone Philadelphia Fire Code subcode's re-basing to the 2021 IFC beyond the UCC-referenced scope could not be independently confirmed.
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 | International Mechanical Code (with local amendments) | 2021 |
| Plumbing | International Plumbing Code (with local amendments) | 2021 |
| Electrical | National Electrical Code (NFPA 70) | 2020 |
| Energy | International Energy Conservation Code (with local amendments) | 2021 |
| Other | International Existing Building Code (with local amendments) | 2021 |
Current adoptions effective 2026-01-01.
Permits: Philadelphia permitting office
Get this data as JSON
curl https://codes.submittal.app/api/v1/cities/philadelphia.jsonConfidence: high · Verified against official sources:
- https://www.phila.gov/media/20251021080549/B-2501-Implementation-of-2021-International-Codes.pdf
- https://www.phila.gov/documents/2021-i-code-transition-materials/
- https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dli/programs-services/labor-management-relations/bureau-of-occupational-and-industrial-safety/uniform-construction-code-home
Part of the open building-codes dataset (CC BY 4.0). See also: Pennsylvania statewide adoptions.