What building code does District of Columbia use?
District of Columbia currently enforces District of Columbia Building Code, 2017 edition (statewide 2017 code cycle). Cities and counties in District of Columbia may adopt local amendments.
Adopted codes — 2017 cycle
| Scope | Code | Edition |
|---|---|---|
| Building | District of Columbia Building Code | 2017 |
| Residential | International Residential Code | 2015 |
| Fire | International Fire Code | 2015 |
| Mechanical | International Mechanical Code | 2015 |
| Plumbing | International Plumbing Code | 2015 |
| Energy | DC Energy Conservation Code | 2017 |
| Property Maintenance | International Property Maintenance Code | 2015 |
| Green Building | DC Green Construction Code | 2017 |
Other active cycles
District of Columbia lists more than one active cycle with ICC — projects may be permitted under either depending on submission date and local adoption.
2015 cycle (also active)
| Scope | Code | Edition |
|---|---|---|
| Building | International Building Code | 2015 |
| Residential | International Residential Code | 2015 |
| Fire | International Fire Code | 2015 |
| Mechanical | International Mechanical Code | 2015 |
| Plumbing | International Plumbing Code | 2015 |
| Energy | International Energy Conservation Code | 2015 |
| Existing Building | International Existing Building Code | 2015 |
| Fuel Gas | International Fuel Gas Code | 2015 |
| Property Maintenance | International Property Maintenance Code | 2015 |
| Private Sewage | International Private Sewage Disposal Code | 2015 |
| Pool & Spa | International Swimming Pool and Spa Code | 2015 |
| Zoning | International Zoning Code | 2015 |
Get this data as JSON
curl https://codes.submittal.app/api/v1/states/district-of-columbia.jsonEvery page on this site is backed by the open building-codes dataset (CC BY 4.0). Source: ICC code-adoption records, retrieved 2026-04-28.