Michigan Forges Ahead With Modernizing 10-Year-Old Building Codes Amid Industry Pushback
Michigan officials intend to forge ahead in a years-long effort to modernize state building codes for new homes that are nearly a decade old this year in 2025. This is even while continuing to face pushback from builders who want the state to take a different path.
Major savings on utility bills are at stake for homeowners in dwellings that would be more energy efficient if Michigan moved on from current codes that date back to 2015, as well as an opportunity to slash carbon emissions from buildings in the fight against climate change.
“The system is broken, and I think the proof is in the fact that we’ve got a code that’s 10 years old, and by law, the state is supposed to update the code no less frequently than once every six years,” said Bob Filka, CEO of the Home Builders Association of Michigan.
According to Michigan Live, Homebuilders have resisted the path Michigan has chosen to bring those old codes up to date, citing increased housing costs and other issues. Meanwhile, environmentalists have rallied around them as a powerful tool to confront emissions from buildings and immediately address the climate crisis.
Michigan proposes to use codes based on a 2021 model version of an international residential code revised every three years that states are free to adopt as they see fit. As the update process dragged on, residential builders began to call for the state to take up the latest 2024 version of the model codes instead.
At a December public meeting, builders and code officials from across the state lined up to urge officials with the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, or LARA, to follow that path.
