03/09/2026
Building Codes are Very Important to the success & longevity of building our homes. But it's such a Mixed Bag that most people dont have any idea about.
Did you know that if you live out in the county, your builder can basically pick/choose what code(s) they want to build too, unlike how a major metro city mandates what codes must be adhered too.
Although, Companies pay lobbyists & others to pass codes that they deem beneficial yet provides fiscal benefits to them. Example is how the Fire-Sprinkler market keeps trying to mandate in-house fire sprinklers in every home. Sure, that would be great, but that is very costly & will be passed along to the homebuyer.
Which leads us into this story about Energy code - basically a judge struck down requirements from the 2021 IECC code & noted that costs could run over $20k per home; yet take 90yrs to see a "break-even return".
These types of things have infiltrated homebuilding greatly the last 10yrs+ making some places unaffordable to build - all the while making rules like, "You're no longer allowed to have an outlet at your kitchen Island" bc you or a child may trip on cord. Even if you're living with no kids, grandkids or others... Thats a real code that went into effect this year.
Looks like our world needs more common sense everywhere, even in &
A recent court decision in a case brought by NAHB and 15 states challenging federal energy code mandates is a major win for our members, housing affordability and common-sense regulations. The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas ruling in NAHB’s case prevents the Departm...
