DC is rewriting all twelve construction codes — comment window opens this fall
DC is rewriting all twelve construction codes — comment window opens this fall
2026-09-09 · District of Columbia · Regulation
The District of Columbia is replacing a construction code set that dates to 2015 model codes, and the public comment window opens this autumn. For associations, this is the rulemaking that determines what every renovation, facade repair, elevator modernisation and window replacement will have to meet for the next decade.
What changed first: who writes the codes
On February 11, 2026 the Department of Buildings announced that it had become the lead agency for construction code development, implementing Mayor's Orders that dissolved the Construction Codes Coordinating Board and delegated code-development authority to the DOB Director.1
With it came a commitment: adoption of the 2024 International Code Council family of codes, and the most recent editions of non-ICC codes such as the National Electrical Code, by the end of 2027. Director Hanlon framed the goal as narrowing the gap with peer jurisdictions.
The gap is real. The District currently operates the 2017 DC Construction Codes — built on the 2015 I-Codes, the 2014 NEC and ASHRAE 90.1-2013 — effective May 29, 2020. That is one of the most out-of-date code sets in the region.
The process, and the dates
DOB announced the public process on June 8, 2026, running seven virtual listening sessions across all twelve code categories: Property Maintenance and Swimming Pool & Spa in June; Building and Existing Building in July; Electrical in July; Residential in August; Fuel Gas, Mechanical and Plumbing in August; Energy Conservation and Green Construction in September; and Fire on September 24, 2026.2
The rulemaking timeline that follows: first proposed rules in mid-to-late fall 2026, then a 45-day comment period; second proposed rules in summer 2027; final rules in winter 2027.
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Related District of Columbia HOA Topics
- D.C. Department of Buildings, announcement of construction-code development authority (Feb. 11, 2026) ↩
- D.C. Department of Buildings, “Advances Modernization of District Construction Codes” (June 8, 2026) — listening sessions and rulemaking timeline ↩
- D.C. Department of Buildings, DC Construction Codes — current 2017 code set ↩
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