International Building Code
Tennessee enforces the 2021 IBC, with exceptions
The 2021 International Building Code (IBC) has been in force in Tennessee since Apr 17, 2025. It applies statewide, with exceptions. Adopted by Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, State Fire Marshal’s Office. The legal citation is Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0780-02-02-.01(1).
Record of adoption
Edition in force
2021 IBC
International Building Code, 2021 edition (0780-02-02)
Verified
- In force since
- Legal citation
- Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0780-02-02-.01(1)
- Adopted by
- Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, State Fire Marshal’s Office
- Second reading
- Applies
- Statewide, with exceptions
- State amendments
- Minor
- Also called
- IBC
The rule lists modifications such as removing Chapter 11 and exempting Section 423 storm shelters. Plans may use the previous codes for 120 days after the effective date.
Exceptions
- Exempt jurisdictions (municipalities certified to enforce their own building and fire codes, which must be kept within 7 years of the latest edition and approved/audited by the State Fire Marshal) are not subject to the statewide codes except for state buildings, educational occupancies and state-licensed occupancies.
How Tennessee adopts the IBC
The State Fire Marshal’s Office (Dept. of Commerce and Insurance) adopts model-code editions by rulemaking under T.C.A. 68-120-101 (chapters 0780-02-01 NEC, 0780-02-02 building/fire/energy, 0780-02-23 residential), filing with the Secretary of State. No legislative approval step was found; the General Assembly constrains content by statute (for example no mandatory sprinklers in one- and two-family dwellings, 2/3 local vote for local sprinkler mandates) and in 2025 Public Chapter 149 carved a roof-reflectance requirement out of the 2021 IECC.
Cycle. Irregular, roughly every 4 to 8 years and not every code at once: NEC 2017 since 2018; residential IRC/IECC 2018 since 2020; IBC/IFC/commercial IECC 2021 since 2025.
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 four source pages.
Evidence 4 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.
“International Building Code (IBC), 2021 edition, published by the International Code Council (ICC);”
Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office Currently Adopted CodesTennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, State Fire Marshal's Officetn.gov (opens in a new tab)Agency pageRetrieved “They become effective April 17, 2025.”
Codes EnforcementTennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, State Fire Marshal's Officetn.gov (opens in a new tab)Agency pageRetrieved Rules & Regulations of the State of Tennessee, 0780-02-02-.01Justia (mirror of Tennessee rules)regulations.justia.com (opens in a new tab)Administrative code, secondaryRetrieved Tennessee Department of Codes and Standards 2025 Code UpdateICC-NTA (industry news, relays state filing)icc-nta.org (opens in a new tab)News, secondaryRetrieved
Tracker cross-checks
Code adoption trackers are a cross-check. They are not Tennessee’s own record.
ICC’s code adoption mapCross-checkAgrees with the record
State Tennessee 21 18 21 21 21 21 X 09 12 21 21 X X X (first entry read as IBC)