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Welcome to the City of Houston’s Construction Code Modernization project page! We encourage all stakeholders to participate as we prepare for the adoption of the 2021 Building Codes.

Construction codes significantly mitigate the effects of hurricanes, storm surges, and extreme weather changes. By staying current with our building codes, we can help our residents protect their homes and businesses by providing safer, more resilient construction that will support greater economic security and public safety.

There are several ways to contribute to the Construction Code Modernization project. Sign up for the newsletter, join a committee, or submit a code amendment.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Select the +/- symbol to reveal or hide responses or download a copy of the frequently asked questions

The Houston Public Works mandate for this code adoption is to adopt the 2021 Code Editions as a base code with local amendments that:

  • Help strengthen and ensure long-term sustainability and resiliency in Houston,
  • Do not reduce the fire- or life-safety provisions without providing an equivalency to what’s found in the base code, and
  • Comply with the intent of the code in quality, strength, effectiveness, fire resistance, durability, and safety for the purpose intended.

For more information, review page 8 of the Public Participation Plan.

The City of Houston's legal will finalize the 2021 codes on August 14, 2023.

The final proposed building codes will be published from August 21, 2023 - September 19, 2023.

The projected date is January 1, 2024. City Council will determine the actual date.

Yes. You may speak at the Houston Council Transportation, Technology, & Infrastructure Committee meeting when Houston Public Works submits the proposed 2021 Building Codes.

The Houston Council Transportation, Technology, & Infrastructure Committee (TTI) meeting is on August 24, 2023, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. and will be held at the City Hall 900, Bagby Street, 1st Floor, Houston, TX 77002.

Yes, the time allowed will be 1-2 minutes, depending on the number of people that register to speak.

The projected effective date is January 1, 2024.  City Council will determine the actual date, which will be, at a minimum, a 30-day notice from the date of City Council adoption.

Only projects submitted after the effective date of the 2021 Construction Code will need to comply with the 2021 editions of the codes. Projects can continue to be grandfathered under the 2015 Construction Code as long as an application for development was submitted before the 2021 Construction Code effective date. (See Code Word 2015-B01 for more information on “grandfathering” and the “code of record” – This will continue to be applicable after the 2021 Construction Code adoption.)

Yes, starting in January 2024, training sessions will be provided on “significant changes on various codes within the 2021 Building Codes”.  More details will be available on the website in December.

The trainings will be held in person and online.  The PowerPoint presentation will be available on the website after the date of the presentation.  Please return to the website in December 2023 for more information.

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About the Project

In this publication, you will find more about the history of the project, the overall CCM timeline, our goals and objectives for the CCM project, as well as specific tasks and action items. Additionally, there will be information on the code adoption process, examples of the various forms and information required for code recommendations, and corresponding guidelines that will assist everyone in understanding the CCM project’s structure and outreach efforts.

Timeline

The Construction Code Modernization project began in mid-June of 2022 and will take two years to successfully complete the six tasks. The Stakeholder kick-off meeting was held on Dec. 16, 2022. A copy of the presentation can be viewed and downloaded here

Task Force and Committee meetings will begin in late December 2022 and will last through April 2023.

Code Modernization project timeline updated on Jan. 25, 2023
Click here to download the project timeline. Last updated Jan. 25, 2023

For more details about the project, review the Public Participation Plan.