North Carolina's 2024 state building code has no effective date after Residential Code Council formation stalls

North Carolina's 2024 State Building Code has no confirmed effective date. As of a 1 June 2026 update from the North Carolina Licensing Boards, the effective date has been postponed again - it will now fall at least 12 months after the General Assembly approves the Governor's nominees to the newly created Residential Code Council, a body whose formation remains incomplete. The 2018 North Carolina State Building Code continues to govern all permitted construction statewide.

A sequence of legislative delays

The 2024 code has been pushed back three times since it was first adopted by the Building Code Council:

• Originally scheduled to take effect 1 January 2025, the General Assembly delayed it to 1 July 2025 through Session Law 2024-57.
• House Bill 47 - enacted as Session Law 2025-2 and signed by Governor Josh Stein on 20 March 2025 - delayed the code a second time, tying the effective date to a certification by the State Fire Marshal rather than a fixed calendar date.
• As of 1 June 2026, the NC Licensing Boards confirmed the date has slipped again because the Residential Code Council has not yet been fully constituted.

Under Section 5.12(b) of S.L. 2025-2, the 2024 code cannot take effect until the State Fire Marshal certifies in writing to the Revisor of Statutes that two conditions have both been met: the Building Code Council and Residential Code Council have completed publication and distribution of the fully adopted code to all required state and local officials and made it available for public purchase; and the Residential Code Council is fully constituted in accordance with G.S. 143-136.1. The clock on the 12-month period does not start until that certification is issued.

The Office of the State Fire Marshal stated in April 2025 that it anticipated printed copies of the 2024 code would be available for distribution by 31 July 2025, but acknowledged that formation of the Residential Code Council was beyond its control, depending on appointments made by the Governor and the General Assembly.

What the 2024 code would change

The 2024 North Carolina State Building Code is built on the 2021 International Building Code (IBC) and 2021 International Residential Code (IRC), with North Carolina-specific amendments. The code suite comprises ten volumes:

• 2024 NC Administrative Code and Policies
• 2024 NC Building Code
• 2024 NC Residential Code
• 2023 NC Electrical Code (NFPA 70, 2023 edition, with NC amendments)
• 2018 NC Energy Conservation Code
• 2024 NC Existing Building Code
• 2024 NC Fire Code
• 2024 NC Fuel Gas Code
• 2024 NC Mechanical Code
• 2024 NC Plumbing Code

The substantive changes affect every construction trade. The updated energy provisions raise requirements for insulation, air sealing, and HVAC efficiency. The structural chapters incorporate the 2021 IBC's revised wind and seismic provisions. The existing building code volume introduces updated compliance pathways for renovation and change-of-occupancy work.

Interim use and current compliance

The 2018 North Carolina State Building Code, which has been in force since 1 January 2019, remains the default standard for all permit applications. The Office of the State Fire Marshal has confirmed that the 2024 code may be used voluntarily as an alternative method of construction if requested by the building owner or their agent, under the alternative materials and methods provisions of the 2018 NC Administrative Code and Policies, Section 105, coordinated with the local code enforcement authority.

The authority having jurisdiction determines whether a project may proceed under the 2024 code on an alternative-methods basis; this determination is not automatic.

The effective date will remain unresolved until the Residential Code Council is fully seated and the State Fire Marshal issues the required certification. Contractors, architects, and engineers working in North Carolina should monitor the Office of the State Fire Marshal's codes page and the NC Building Code Council for any announcement that the certification has been issued, as that date starts the 12-month countdown to mandatory compliance.