Alabama enforces the 2015 IRC

Record of adoption

Legal citation

Ala. Code 34-14A-12, 34-14A-12.1, 34-14A-82

Adopted by

Alabama Home Builders Licensure Board (authority moved from ADECA effective Oct 1, 2024)

Also called

Alabama Energy and Residential Code

The ICC tracker lists edition 2015. The statute (effective Oct 1, 2026, compilation) says residential builders must follow the applicable code beginning Jan 1, 2027, but names no edition.

Exceptions

• Statute says the state code does not supersede local residential codes in effect on Jan 1, 2027

Coming next

• Edition not knownPartial
  Planned for Jan 1, 2027In developmentAla. Code 34-14A-2(2), 34-14A-12, 34-14A-82

  Jan 1, 2027, is the date from which residential home builders must follow the applicable code under 34-14A-12.1.

How Alabama adopts the IRC

• More than one path
• A recent law changed the process
• The legislature sets the update schedule

Act 2024-443 moved residential code adoption from ADECA to the Home Builders Licensure Board. An Advisory Council recommends the code to the Board (statutory deadline Oct 1, 2025) and the Board adopts or rejects it; later amendments must be based on published IRC/IECC editions. Local governments enforce and may exceed the state minimum.

Cycle. unknown; new structure, first state code takes effect for builders Jan 1, 2027

Laws, rulings, and other actions

1. Jan 1, 2027Legislation
   Ala. Code 34-14A-12.1 (as in the HBLB statute compilation effective 2026-10-01)

   Sets Jan 1, 2027, as the date residential home builders must follow the applicable residential code, without superseding local codes already in effect.

   Enacted, residential builders must follow the applicable code beginning Jan 1, 2027

   hblb.alabama.gov (opens in a new tab)
2. Feb 13, 2025Other action
   Alabama Residential Building Code Advisory Council first meeting

   Council began work on the building and energy code recommendation due to the Home Builders Licensure Board by Oct 1, 2025.

3. Oct 1, 2024Legislation
   Act 2024-4432024 regular session

   Moved residential code adoption from ADECA to the Home Builders Licensure Board and commercial energy code adoption from ADECA to the Alabama Licensing Board for General Contractors.

   Enacted 2024, authority transfer effective Oct 1, 2024

   dcm.alabama.gov (opens in a new tab)

How it was checked

Lead only

A tracker lists this edition. Nobody has checked it against the state’s own record yet.

The state’s record was last read on Oct 19, 2026, from four source pages.

Evidence 6 sources

Sources for the record itself come first, the state’s own records ahead of others. A label marks a source about something else, such as an exception. A source marked secondary is not the state’s own record.

• “The board shall have the sole authority to adopt the following codes:”

• About a coming change

  “Beginning January 1, 2027, a residential home builder within this state”

• About how the state adopts codes

  “Adoption authority of the residential building code was transferred from”

• About how the state adopts codes

• About how the state adopts codes

• About how the state adopts codes

Tracker cross-checks

Code adoption trackers are a cross-check. They are not Alabama’s own record.

• ICC’s code adoption mapCross-check

  State Alabama 21 15 21 21 21 X 21 15 15 X 21 X X X X (IRC taken as second value)

  mitek-us.com (opens in a new tab)Read Oct 17, 2026

Related pages

• See Alabama’s IRC on the map
• IRC adoption in every state
• All six codes in Alabama

Other codes in Alabama

• NEC2020 NECVerified
• IBC2021 IBCVerified
• IFC2021 IFCPartial
• IECC residential2015 IECCLead only
• IECC commercialAnother model codePartial