Florida Building Commission rejects mass timber provisions for 9th Edition code, leaving tall timber out of statewide rules

Florida's Building Commission has voted down 22 of 29 mass timber provisions proposed for the 9th Edition of the Florida Building Code, overruling recommendations from its own Fire and Structural Technical Advisory Committees (TACs). The 9th Edition is scheduled to take effect 31 December 2026, replacing the current 8th Edition. The decision leaves Florida as one of a shrinking minority of states with no statewide code pathway for tall mass timber construction.

What the Commission rejected

During development of the 2026 Florida Building Code, the Commission's Fire and Structural Technical Advisory Committees recommended approval of 22 of 29 mass timber proposals^[1]. Those provisions would have added construction Types IV-A, IV-B, and IV-C to the statewide code - the same framework that the 2021 and 2024 International Building Code (IBC) uses to govern mass timber buildings up to 18, 12, and 9 storeys respectively^[1].

The American Wood Council (AWC), which submitted the 29 change proposals, says the Commission rejected them at its December 2025 meeting despite what it describes as the strongest technical backing the provisions have carried in Florida^[1]. The AWC's 2025 annual report attributes the outcome to "competing material interests and misleading testimony"^[1].

Critics of the vote note that Commissioners demanded testing benchmarks that do not exist for mass timber - standards that have never been imposed on steel or concrete^[1]. Smaller, stand-alone proposals were also voted down after supporters had been told that narrower changes might fare better.

Where Florida now stands

Tall timber construction is now permitted in 44 states, either statewide or through local adopting jurisdictions^[1]. Florida is not among them. With no statewide code language covering mass timber, any Florida jurisdiction that wants to permit a tall timber project must use the alternative means and methods (AMM) pathway built into the existing code.

Under that clause, cities and counties can approve projects whose methods demonstrate quality, strength, fire resistance, durability, and safety equivalent to standard construction - but each project must make that case independently^[1]. That process places the burden of proof on individual applicants and puts local building officials in the position of evaluating a construction type the statewide code does not address.

Florida projects are already in the pipeline regardless. A six-storey mass timber office building topped out in Fort Lauderdale's FAT Village, and approved plans for Pensacola's Maritime Park include 11- and 16-storey mass timber towers^[1].

The legislative route has also stalled

The Commission's vote is not the first time Florida has blocked mass timber at the code level. In 2022, Commissioners voted 9-4 in favour of mass timber provisions; the proposal fell short of the 75% supermajority the process requires^[1]. By the December 2025 vote, technical support had grown and fire-service opposition had receded - yet the outcome was worse, not better.

A legislative push also failed to break the deadlock. A 2025 construction bill ordered the Commission to recognise tall mass timber by 1 January 2026, but the mandate was stripped before the measure became law in June 2025^[1].

What applies in the meantime

The AWC has published a Florida Mass Timber Alternative Materials and Methods Guide tailored to projects under the 8th Edition of the Florida Building Code^[1]. The guide is intended to help code officials establish clear requirements for AMM approvals and to build familiarity with the IBC mass timber provisions ahead of any future adoption cycle.

Affected trades include structural engineers, architects, general contractors, and building officials in any Florida jurisdiction considering a Type IV mass timber project. Those parties should:

• Engage the local authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) early in design, before permit application
• Reference the AWC Florida AMM Guide when preparing an alternative means submission
• Confirm that the project satisfies Florida's wind, hurricane, floodplain, termite, and life-safety requirements, which apply to all construction types regardless of material

The 9th Edition of the Florida Building Code is expected to take effect 31 December 2026 under the statutory six-month transition period required by Florida Statute 553.73(7)(e). It will not contain mass timber provisions. The next code-development cycle begins in 2027, and the AWC has said it is exploring alternative regulatory and legislative routes in the interim^[1].