Utah Building Code, under the authority of the Utah State Construction and Fire Codes Act, sets the standards for safe and efficient construction in the state. It encompasses regulations for building design, materials, and safety measures, promoting the well-being of residents and the durability of structures throughout Utah.
Current Commercial Code of Utah
2015 IECC as written, ASHRAE 90.1-2013
Passed 3/24/2016, effective 7/1/2016
Current Residential Code of Utah
2015 IECC with significant state-specific amendments, including provisions from the 2006, 2009, and 2012 IECC
Passed 3/24/2016, effective 7/1/2016
Climate Zones: 3B, 5B, 6B
Code Adoption and Change Process
Code Change Process
Regulatory and Legislative:: The Utah Uniform Building Code Commission is charged with forming advisory committees and recommending code adoptions and amendments for adoption to the Utah Legislature. The Commission shall by no later than November 30th of each year recommend to the Business and Labor Interim Committee whether the Legislature should: amend or repeal one or more provisions of a State Construction Code; or in a year of a regularly scheduled update of a nationally recognized code, adopt a construction code with any modifications.
If the Business and Labor Interim Committee decides to recommend legislative action to the Legislature, the Business and Labor Interim Committee shall prepare legislation for consideration by the Legislature in the next general session that, if passed by the Legislature, would:
- Adopt a new State Construction Code in its entirety; or
- Amend or repeal one or more provisions of the State Construction Code.
Code Change Cycle
No set schedule
Next Code Update
Unknown
History
| July 1, 2016 | The new code, based on the 2015 IECC, goes into effect. However, numerous amendments have weakened the residential code. |
| March 24, 2016 | The governor signs House Bill 316, adopting the 2015 IECC for commercial and residential construction. |
| June 4, 2014 | Utah Governor Gary Herbert issues the Utah Energy Efficiency and Conservation Plan. The plan includes 26 recommendations that highlight the existing energy efficiency and conservation efforts of both the state and utilities operating in it, including regulated investor owned utilities, municipal utilities, and rural electric cooperatives. The report includes guiding principles, a section with definitions and a basic overview of energy efficiency and conservation, as well as a section which details current consumption levels and characterizes energy efficiency as a resource. The plan also highlights the links between energy efficiency, water conservation, pollution reduction and air quality in Utah. SWEEP and its partner Utah Clean Energy participated in the development of the plan. |
| February 29, 2012 | House Bill 262, which would have updated the residential code to the 2009 IECC, is tabled by the House Political Subdivisions Committee, indefinitely postponing action during the general session. This bill is eventually defeated in the House. |
| August 2011 | Several Utah media sources pick up pieces on building energy efficiency and the movement to update the state’s residential building energy code to the 2009 IECC: |
| February 3, 2011 | The Utah House declines to amend a construction codes bill (HB 203) to adopt the 2009 IECC for residential dwellings. The Utah Senate Business and Labor Committee also chooses not to amend the bill. The panel does, however, resolve to study the issue more closely during the upcoming interim legislative session from April to October. |
| October 20, 2010 | The Utah Senate Business and Labor Interim Committee chooses not to follow the recommendations of the Utah Uniform Building Code Commission to adopt a modified version of the 2009 IECC for new homes and major residential renovations, keeping Utah’s energy conservation code for one- and two-family dwellings at the 2006 IECC.
The committee considered five proposed amendments to add to a bill to be introduced in the next legislative session that would amend the state construction code. The committee chose to add the first two items not related to energy, but declined to add the three related to energy. Besides adopting the 2009 IECC, the other amendments respectively related to log homes and would have allowed conventional homes to use the performance path to show compliance by demonstrating 12% energy savings beyond the 2006 IECC, in addition to meeting all of the mandatory requirements of the 2009 IECC. The intended effective date would have been January 1, 2012. Estimates of homeowner utility savings from the 2009 IECC range from $175 to almost $250 per year. |
| September 8, 2010 | The Utah Uniform Building Code Commission holds a public comment hearing and votes unanimously to recommend the adoption of a modified version of the 2009 IECC for new homes and major residential renovations. The proposed Utah code would allow homes using the performance path to show compliance by demonstrating 12% energy savings beyond the 2006 IECC. |
| July 1, 2010 | After the passage of the State Construction Code Adoption Act, the Utah Legislature updated the Utah State Construction Code to reference the 2009 ICC codes series, including the 2009 IECC. The residential provisions of the Utah State Construction Code are based on the 2009 IRC with Utah amendments, but the energy efficiency section (Chapter 11) of the 2009 IRC is replaced with Chapter 11 of the 2006 IRC and Chapter 4 of the 2006 IECC. |
| February 2009 | House Bill 394, amending provisions relating to the Uniform Building Code Commission, is introduced. It eventually fails in the House. |
| January 1, 2007 | Updates to the Utah Uniform Building Standard Act, passed on January 1, 2006, go into effect. These updates make the 2006 IECC mandatory for all residential and commercial buildings. |
| May 1, 2006 | House Bill 80, concerning energy savings in state buildings, goes into effect. |
| January 1978 | A code based on the Model Code for Energy Conservation (MCEC) goes into effect. |
| March 1977 | Legislation is passed requiring the Building Board to promulgate an energy conservation code and providing political subdivisions and the State Board of Education authority to adopt their own code or a modified version of the state code. |
| January 1976 | A bill is passed that provides for the adoption of an energy conservation code for state buildings, suggested voluntary compliance by the state’s political subdivisions, and recommended voluntary compliance by the state’s building industry. |
| 1953 | The Utah Uniform Building Standards Act is passed. |
Contacts
Shawna Cuan
Building & Industrial Energy Efficiency Specialist
Governor’s Office of Energy Development
Contact page
Brooke Kimball
Energy Efficiency & Environmental Program Coordinator
Governor’s Office of Energy Development
Contact page
Jim Meyers
Director, Buildings Efficiency Program
Southwest Energy Efficiency Project
Email: jmeyers@swenergy.org
Christine Brinker
Senior Associate, Buildings Efficiency Program
Southwest Energy Efficiency Project
Email: cbrinker@swenergy.org
News and Events
BCAP Projects
Energy Code Ambassadors Program
BCAP Resources
Helpful Links
Cosimina has been a member of BCAP for over a decade, actively contributing to the organization’s nationally acclaimed initiatives aimed at assisting states and local authorities in the establishment and enforcement of robust and efficient building energy codes. Her involvement spans across advocacy, technical guidance, outreach programs, and the formation of strategic coalitions.