Codes of Record

International Energy Conservation Code, residential

North Carolina enforces the 2015 IECC residential

The 2015 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) for residential buildings has been in force in North Carolina since Jan 1, 2019. It applies statewide. Adopted by North Carolina Building Code Council (approved by Rules Review Commission). The legal citation is 2018 NC State Building Code, Energy Conservation Code volume; G.S. 143-138.

Record of adoption

Edition in force

2015 IECC

2018 North Carolina Energy Conservation Code

Verified

In force since
Legal citation
2018 NC State Building Code, Energy Conservation Code volume; G.S. 143-138
Adopted by
North Carolina Building Code Council (approved by Rules Review Commission)
Second reading
Applies
Statewide
State amendments
Major
Also called
NCECC

OSFM’s copy says ‘based on the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code’; a Council fiscal note describes the package as the 2009 IECC plus incremental measures from the 2012 and 2015 editions, so the NC code differs materially from a plain 2015 IECC.

Coming next

  • 2021 IECCPartial
    Adopted; start date not setAdopted, not yet in force2024 North Carolina State Building Code; S.L. 2025-2, s. 5.12

    OSFM says it became a permanent rule on Mar 24, 2025, after legislative review under G.S. 150B-21.3. Council documents use the 2021 IECC as the base document but adopt it with NC changes rather than wholesale. Effective date not set.

How North Carolina adopts the IECC residential

  • More than one path
  • The legislature reviews the rules and can block them
  • A recent law changed the process

The Building Code Council adopts the NC Energy Conservation Code by rule; the 2024 edition was subjected to legislative review under G.S. 150B-21.3 before becoming permanent on Mar 24, 2025. The General Assembly also delayed the 2024 code set’s effective date (S.L. 2025-2 s. 5.12). G.S. 143-138(d) required the Residential Code Council to review the energy code as it applies to residential construction by Jan 1, 2026.

Cycle. Irregular; the 2018 code took effect Jan 1, 2019, and the 2024 edition is stalled.

Laws, rulings, and other actions

  1. Other action
    State licensing board notice: earliest possible effective date of the 2024 Code is May 1, 2027

    Says effective date will be at least one year after the General Assembly approves the Governor’s Residential Code Council nominees; not set and may be further delayed.

  2. Other action
    2024 NC Energy Conservation Code became a permanent rule after legislative review (G.S. 150B-21.3)

    Completed the rule process for the 2024 NCECC; it awaits the effective date set by S.L. 2025-2.

  3. Legislation
    H 47 / S.L. 2025-2, s. 5.122025 regular session, Disaster Recovery Act of 2025 - Part I

    Makes the 2024 State Building Code effective 12 months after the first day of the month following State Fire Marshal certification that publication/distribution is complete and the Residential Code Council is fully constituted.

    Enacted Mar 19, 2025, effective Mar 19, 2025

    ncleg.gov (opens in a new tab)
  4. Legislation
    S 382 / S.L. 2024-57, s. 1F.32023 session, enacted in Dec 2024

    Delayed the effective date of the 2024 North Carolina State Building Code from Jan 1, 2025, to Jul 1, 2025.

    Enacted Dec 11, 2024; delay to Jul 1, 2025, superseded by S.L. 2025-2

    ncosfm.gov (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 .

The state’s record was last read on , from two source pages.

Evidence 2 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.

  • “2018 NC Energy Conservation Code (based on the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code) effective 1/1/2019”

    2018 NC Energy Conservation CodeNC Office of State Fire Marshal (Department of Insurance)ncosfm.gov (opens in a new tab)Agency pageRetrieved

  • “Until the to-be- determined effective date of the 2024 Code, the 2018 North Carolina State Building Code remains in full force”

    Letter re 2024 State Building Code Effective Date (State Fire Marshal Brian Taylor, Mar 31, 2025)NC Office of State Fire Marshal (Department of Insurance)ncosfm.gov (opens in a new tab)Agency pageRetrieved

Tracker cross-checks

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

  • DOE’s energycodes.govCross-checkAgrees with the record

    Code edition: “2015 IECC”; Effective date: “01/01/2019”; Status/coverage: “Mandatory Statewide”

    energycodes.gov (opens in a new tab)Read

Related pages

Other codes in North Carolina