Florida enforces the 2021 IRC

Record of adoption

In force since

Dec 31, 2023

Legal citation

s. 553.73(1)(a), (7), Fla. Stat.; Rule 61G20-1.001, F.A.C.

Adopted by

Florida Building Commission (Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation)

Second reading

Agreed Oct 19, 2026

Applies

Statewide

State amendments

Major

Also called

Florida Residential Code (FRC), FBC, Residential

The Commission’s Analysis of Changes names the 2021 IRC as the model code that updated the 7th Edition (2020) base code to the 8th Edition. The state amendments are rated substantial because Florida has its own administrative and technical amendments. They are not itemized.

Exceptions

• Buildings, structures and facilities exempted from the Florida Building Code by s. 553.73(10), Fla. Stat. (for example drone ports, chickees, equipment in a spaceport territory)
• Local governments may adopt administrative amendments and more-stringent local technical amendments under s. 553.73(4); local technical amendments take effect 30 days after the Commission receives them

Coming next

• 2024 IRCPartial
  Planned for Dec 31, 2026ProposedRule 61G20-1.001, F.A.C. (notice of proposed rule, Florida Administrative Register Vol. 52/185, Sep 23, 2026)

  The 9th Edition workplan has the residential workgroup review the 2024 IRC changes. No direct statement of the Residential volume’s base edition was found. The effective date is the Commission workplan target. The final rule hearing was still TBD on Oct 17, 2026, and s. 553.73(7)(e) requires at least 6 months after publication of the updated code.

How Florida adopts the IRC

• Agency rule
• The legislature sets the update schedule
• The legislature reviews the rules and can block them
• A recent law changed the process

The Florida Building Commission adopts each triennial edition of the Florida Building Code by rule under Chapter 120 (s. 553.73(1)(a), (7)(a)), after selecting and reviewing the current ICC model codes, and the rule takes effect no sooner than 6 months after the updated code is published (s. 553.73(7)(e)). General Chapter 120 oversight applies: the workplan builds in resolving JAPC (legislative rules committee) concerns before filing, and s. 120.541(3) requires legislative ratification only if estimated regulatory costs exceed the thresholds (for example $1 million in 5 years). Local governments may add administrative amendments and more-stringent technical amendments that take effect 30 days after the Commission receives them (s. 553.73(4)).

Cycle. Triennial by statute (s. 553.73(7)(a)); 8th Edition effective Dec 31, 2023, 9th Edition targeted for Dec 31, 2026; interim amendments and errata between cycles.

Laws, rulings, and other actions

1. Sep 23, 2026Other action
   Notice of Proposed Rule published for the Florida Building Code, 9th Edition (2026)

   Florida Administrative Register Vol. 52/185 notice of proposed rule to adopt the 9th Edition; the final rule hearing was still TBD in the Commission’s October 2026 workplan.

2. May 6, 2026Legislation
   CS/CS/HB 803, ch. 2026-632026 regular session

   Building permits and inspections act: directs the Commission to adopt a uniform commercial building permit application by rule and limits some local permit requirements; s. 553.73 is not among the statutes in its title as read, and the Commission opened rulemaking on Jun 29, 2026, to conform the code.

   Enacted May 6, 2026, effective Jul 1, 2026

   laws.flrules.org (opens in a new tab)
3. Mar 18, 2026Other action
   Interim amendments to the in-force 8th Edition (2023) through Rule 61G20-1.001

   FLRules history shows the Florida Building Code rule amended Aug 15, 2024, Aug 19, 2024, Feb 23, 2025, Jul 6, 2025, and Mar 18, 2026 (technical amendments, errata and conforming changes) without changing the 8th Edition year.

4. Mar 13, 2026Legislation
   CS/CS/HB 4052026 regular session

   Commercial construction bill that included a uniform commercial building permit application; that application requirement was enacted through HB 803.

   Failed (died in Rules Mar 13, 2026; a companion passed as CS/CS/HB 803, ch. 2026-63)

   flsenate.gov (opens in a new tab)
5. Mar 13, 2026Legislation
   SB 9682026 regular session

   Home backup power systems: would have barred local technical amendments to the Florida Building Code requiring permits for certain residential backup power systems (per the Commission’s bills matrix).

   Failed (died in Regulated Industries Mar 13, 2026; a companion passed as CS/CS/HB 803, ch. 2026-63)

   flsenate.gov (opens in a new tab)
6. Mar 13, 2026Legislation
   HB 9112026 regular session

   Would have added s. 553.73(21) requiring the Commission to mandate specified wind- and impact-resistant construction for certain buildings beginning with the 9th edition (per the Commission’s bills matrix).

   Failed (died in Industries & Professional Activities Subcommittee Mar 13, 2026)

   flsenate.gov (opens in a new tab)
7. Mar 13, 2026Other action
   Commission votes to proceed to a proposed rule for the 9th Edition (2026)

   At its rule development workshop the Commission voted 14 to 0 to incorporate approved amendments into the Draft 9th Edition, publish a Notice of Proposed Rule for Rule 61G20-1.001 and proceed to rule adoption.

8. May 19, 2025Legislation
   CS/HB 1137, ch. 2025-422025 regular session

   Added s. 553.73(20)(c) barring the Commission from adopting Florida Building Code provisions that prohibit or require installing materials to support more than one fuel source; it also amends s. 633.202 (fire code).

   Enacted May 19, 2025, effective Jul 1, 2025

   laws.flrules.org (opens in a new tab)
9. May 16, 2024Legislation
   CS/CS/CS/HB 267, ch. 2024-1912024 regular session

   Added s. 553.73(7)(g) directing the Commission to modify the code so sealed drawings are not required to replace windows, doors or garage doors in existing one- and two-family dwellings when listed conditions are met.

   Enacted May 16, 2024, effective Jan 1, 2025 (general effective date; some sections differ)

   laws.flrules.org (opens in a new tab)
10. Jun 29, 2021Legislation
    CS/CS/HB 401, ch. 2021-2012021 regular session

    Amended s. 553.73(4), (5) and (8): authorizes the Commission to issue errata to the code (75 percent supermajority vote) and requires it to issue nonbinding advisory opinions within a set timeframe.

    Enacted Jun 29, 2021, effective Jul 1, 2021

    laws.flrules.org (opens in a new tab)
11. Jun 7, 2019Legislation
    CS/CS/HB 447, ch. 2019-752019 regular session

    Amended s. 553.73(7)(a) and (c) (triennial update and technical-amendment provisions), authorizing the Commission to approve code updates without certain findings of state-specific need, effective Jul 1, 2020.

    Enacted Jun 7, 2019, effective Jul 1, 2019 (the s. 553.73(7) amendments take effect Jul 1, 2020)

    laws.flrules.org (opens in a new tab)

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 19, 2026.

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

Evidence 13 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.

• “To adopt the Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023), to address the statutorily-mandated triennial update.”

• “Rulemaking Authority 553.73(1), (7) FS.”

• “1-1-23, 1-3-23, 9-18-23, 12-31-23, 8-15-24, 8-19-24, 2-23-25, 7-6-25, 3-18-26.”

• “The commission shall adopt, by rule pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54, the Florida Building Code”

• “Commission selects 2021 I Codes “model codes” and 2020 NEC to conduct its review”

• “Select the 2021 I-Codes and the 2020 NEC as the model codes”

• “reviews the 2021 changes to the International Residential Code (IRC)”

• “The Effective Date for the Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023), is December 31, 2023.”

• “February 9, 2021, when the Commission voted to select the 2021 International Codes (I-Code), and 2020 National Electrical Code (NEC) for review in the development of the 8th Edition”

• “The 7th Edition (2020) FBCR is the base code”

  “The model code used to update the 8th Edition (2023) FBCR is the 2021 International Residential Code (IRC).”

• About an exception

  “Local technical amendments are not effective until 30 days after the amendment has been received”

• About an exception

  “Local amendments must be more stringent than the minimum standards described in this section”

• About an exception

Related pages

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

Other codes in Florida

• NEC2020 NECVerified
• IBC2021 IBCVerified
• IFCAnother model codeVerified
• IECC residential2021 IECCVerified
• IECC commercial2021 IECCVerified