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Building code reforms called for as model code cycle limits scrutiny
A Minnesota legislatively mandated study found that, with two minor adjustments to code provisions aligned with the 2020 International Building Code, multifamily buildings could be built twice as large without impeding safety, according to HousingWire.
HousingWire argues that US building codes are overdue for reform, saying the current approach is built around incremental updates that do not allow enough time to measure whether changes improve safety, durability, and affordability.
The outlet points to how building codes generally follow three year model code cycles, with publishers moving to the next set of codes as soon as the prior cycle ends. HousingWire says this “perpetual adoption” structure helps reduce the perceived cost impact of substantive changes, but it also leaves no time to study how changes perform once they are implemented in homes and other buildings.
HousingWire cites a legislatively mandated Minnesota study focused on single stair multifamily dwellings. Researchers overlaid existing Minnesota Building Code provisions, which align with the 2020 International Building Code, with existing fire data, and found that locally, with two minor code adjustments, multifamily dwellings could be built twice as large, up or out, without impeding safety.
The article also calls for earlier reform at the model code development step and for stricter evidence standards and more uniform local review, arguing that without changes to both stages, the system cannot reach desired outcomes.