California writes its own code for the IECC residential

Record of adoption

In force since

Jan 1, 2026

Legal citation

Cal. Code Regs., tit. 24, pt. 6

Adopted by

California Energy Commission (adopted Sep 11, 2024); approved by the California Building Standards Commission (Dec 17, 2024, to Dec 19, 2024)

Second reading

Agreed Oct 18, 2026

Applies

The state writes its own code

Also called

2025 Building Energy Efficiency Standards, Title 24, Part 6

California applies its own Energy Code (Title 24, Part 6), adopted by the Energy Commission and approved by the Building Standards Commission, instead of an IECC edition.

Exceptions

• Local jurisdictions may add amendments by ordinance; since Oct 1, 2025, cities and counties may not adopt new residential amendments through Jun 1, 2031, except under AB 130’s listed exceptions.
• Permit applications received on or before Dec 31, 2025, remain under the 2022 California Building Standards Code.
• Executive Order N-29-25 temporarily suspends the 2025 Energy Code update for rebuilding homes and facilities damaged or destroyed in the 2025 Los Angeles area wildfires.

Coming next

• Edition not knownPartial
  Planned for Jan 1, 2029In developmentCal. Code Regs., tit. 24, pt. 6 (2028 edition)

  Energy Commission: ‘Proposed standards will be adopted in 2027 with an effective date of January 1, 2029’ and the timeline is ‘consistent with Assembly Bill 130’; the page does not say how the residential provisions are treated.

How California adopts the IECC residential

• Agency rule
• A recent law changed the process

The Energy Commission adopts the Energy Code (the 2025 edition on Sep 11, 2024) and the Building Standards Commission approves it before codification (H&S Code 18930(a)); the Energy Commission says it develops and approves new codes every three years. The Energy Commission plans to adopt the 2028 Energy Code in 2027 for a Jan 1, 2029, effective date. AB 130 paused new residential building standards from Oct 1, 2025, to Jun 1, 2031; the section 18916 model-code list as read does not include the IECC and none of the exceptions read names the Energy Commission.

Cycle. Triennial, set by the Energy Commission: 2025 Energy Code effective Jan 1, 2026, 2028 Energy Code planned effective Jan 1, 2029.

Laws, rulings, and other actions

1. Oct 15, 2025Emergency rule
   State Fire Marshal emergency rulemaking before the Building Standards Commission

   Commission meeting listings show adoption of State Fire Marshal emergency rulemaking on Oct 15, 2025, and readoption on the May 6, 2026, agenda.

2. Jun 30, 2025Legislation
   AB 130, Chapter 22, Statutes of 20252025-26 regular session

   Amends Health and Safety Code sections including 17958, 17958.5, 17958.7, 18929.1, 18930, 18938.5 and 18941.5 to bar the Building Standards Commission and any other adopting agency from considering, approving or adopting new residential building standards, and cities and counties from new residential amendments, from Oct 1, 2025, to Jun 1, 2031, with exceptions that include emergency standards, State Fire Marshal building-standard amendments, incorporating the latest model codes into the triennial edition with necessary related state amendments, and standards taking effect on or after Jan 1, 2032.

   Enacted Jun 30, 2025; residential building-standards pause runs Oct 1, 2025, through Jun 1, 2031

   dgs.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)
3. Jan 12, 2025Executive order
   Executive Order N-4-25 (Los Angeles wildfire rebuilding)

   Directs the Department of Housing and Community Development, with DGS, the State Fire Marshal and the Energy Commission, to recommend Title 24 provisions that should be suspended for rebuilding projects; the order text read does not itself suspend any Title 24 provision.

How it was checked

Verified

Two separate readings of the state’s own record agree, and the passage is on file word for word.

Read twice: a second, blind reading of the state’s record agreed with the first on Oct 18, 2026.

The state’s record was last read on Oct 18, 2026, from eight source pages.

Evidence 16 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.

• “PART 2.5 – CALIFORNIA RESIDENTIAL CODE”

  “PART 6 – CALIFORNIA ENERGY CODE”

  “PART 9 – CALIFORNIA FIRE CODE”

• “The 2025 California Building Standards Code (Cal. Code Regs., Title 24) will be published July 1, 2025”

  “with an effective date of January 1, 2026.”

• “January 1, 2026, is the statewide effective date for the 2025 California Building Standards Code,”

  “as established by the California Building Standards Commission (CBSC).”

• “Part 3, California Electrical Code December 17–19, 2024”

  “Part 6, California Energy Code December 17–19, 2024”

• “will become effective on January 1, 2026, as a result of the 2024 Triennial Code Adoption Cycle.”

• “For Immediate Release: September 11, 2024”

• “will be submitted to the California Building Standards Commission (CBSC)”

  “is scheduled to consider it in December 2024”

• “Buildings whose permit applications are applied for on or after January 1, 2026, must comply with the 2025 Energy Code.”

• “The 2025 update of the California Energy Code went into effect Jan. 1, 2026 for new buildings and major renovations.”

• “The CEC develops and approves new codes every three years to incorporate innovations in technology”

• About an exception

  “all applications for building permits submitted on or after January 1, 2026, are subject to compliance”

  “The 2022 California Building Standards Code remains in effect”

• About an exception

  “The 2022 California Building Standards Code remains in effect”

  “where the application for a building permit is received on or before December 31, 2025”

• About an exception

  “Executive Order N-29-25 temporarily suspends the 2025 update”

  “repair, restoration, demolition, or replacement of residential structures or facilities substantially damaged or destroyed by the 2025 Los Angeles area wildfires.”

• About an exception

  “occupancies are further subject to amendments adopted by state agencies and ordinances implemented by local jurisdictions’ governing bodies”

• About an exception

  “prohibits cities and counties from making changes that are applicable to residential units, unless one of the following conditions is met”

• About how the state adopts codes

Related pages

• See California’s IECC residential on the map
• IECC residential adoption in every state
• All six codes in California

Other codes in California

• NEC2023 NECVerified
• IBC2024 IBCVerified
• IRC2024 IRCVerified
• IFC2024 IFCVerified
• IECC commercialState’s own codeVerified