Florida enforces the 2020 NEC

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

Also called

FBC, 2023 FBC (8th edition), FBC 8th Edition (2023)

The Florida Building Commission selected the 2020 NEC on Feb 9, 2021, for the 8th Edition update, according to its FY 2023-2024 annual report.

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

• 2023 NECPartial
  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 Commission selected the 2023 NEC for its 9th Edition review. 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 NEC

• 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)); the statute lists the NEC among the codes it reviews, and the NEC edition arrives through the Commission’s model-code selection (2020 NEC for the 8th Edition; 2023 NEC selected for the 9th), taking effect no sooner than 6 months after publication (s. 553.73(7)(e)). Between cycles the Commission may approve an amendment adopting an updated NEC edition if delay causes undue hardship (s. 553.73(8)(a)6; no use found). General Chapter 120 oversight applies (JAPC review is built into the workplan; ratification under s. 120.541(3) only if estimated costs exceed the thresholds), and local governments may add more-stringent technical amendments effective 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. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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)
5. 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 seven source pages.

Evidence 12 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.”

• “and the National Electrical Code, which is copyrighted and published by the National Fire Protection Association.”

• “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”

• “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”

• 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

Tracker cross-checks

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

• Mike Holt’s NEC adoption listCross-checkAgrees with the record

  Florida: edition “2020”, “Effective 12/31/23”; note “2023 update process underway (effective date not established).”

  mikeholt.com (opens in a new tab)Read Oct 17, 2026

• NFPA’s enforcement mapCross-checkAgrees with the record

  Florida 2020 (12/31/2023) 2023 update process underway (Effective date not established)

  Read Oct 18, 2026; NFPA page as of Aug 3, 2026.

  nfpa.org (opens in a new tab)Read Oct 17, 2026

• IAEI’s code adoption pageCross-checkAgrees with the record

  Florida 2020, 12/31/2023

  iaei.org (opens in a new tab)Read Oct 17, 2026

Related pages

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

Other codes in Florida

• IBC2021 IBCVerified
• IRC2021 IRCVerified
• IFCAnother model codeVerified
• IECC residential2021 IECCVerified
• IECC commercial2021 IECCVerified