Virginia

State Building Official
Cindy Davis, Deputy Director of Building and Fire Regulation
Department of Housing and Community Development

600 East Main Street, Suite 300
Richmond, VA 23219
(804) 371-7089
cindy.davis@dhcd.virginia.gov

Current Codes and Edition Adopted:

2018 International Building Code (IBC) 

2018 International Residential Code (IRC)

2018 International Fire Code (IFC) 

2018 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC)

2018 International Existing Building Code (IEBC)

Applicability (statewide, local, limited): STATEWIDE

Virginia’s state building codes and regulations are promulgated and regulated by the DHCD. Codes and regulations are adopted by the Board of Housing and Community Development and periodic amendments are utilized to update codes and incorporate new reference standards. Effective July 1, 2021, Virginia adopted the 2018 I-codes as referenced in the Virginia Construction Code Part 1 and the 2018 Statewide Fire Prevention Code, and the 2017 National Electrical Code.

The 2021 Tall Mass Timber provisions in the 2021 IBC have been adopted for use into the statewide building code. Please review the following for additional information on Tall Mass Timber use in Virginia as well as general code adoption information:

https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/VCC2018P3/supplemental-mass-timber-information

https://www.dhcd.virginia.gov/codes

Tall Mass Timber Adoption

The tall mass timber provisions went into effect in 2021.

Amendments Disadvantaging Wood Construction:

No apparent amendments.

Next Update Cycle (amendment opportunities):

Virginia is currently in the process of reviewing code change proposals for incorporating the 2021 I-Codes into the VA USBC. Public meetings will be conducted by DHCD in March of 2022.

Notes:

Page last updated: January 2022