City of Houston Revises Building Codes

April 19, 2024by Paula Kizzar

In October 2023, Houston’s city council officially adopted Resilience Houston, an effort to make the city more energy efficient and proactive in countering climate change.  Taking effect in January 2024, commercial and residential construction must adhere to the 2021 International Building Code (IBC), the most recently published version.

Building codes are devised by national organizations, such as the International Code Council, then are taken up by states and municipalities who adopt or modify the codes.  Texas, a “home rule” state, permits each city to update local construction codes autonomously.

The state of Texas did not have standardized building codes until 2001.  It was not until 2021 that the state passed legislation to modify the 2001 IBC to 2012 IBC.

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