Building Energy Code

Summary

Much of the information presented in this summary is drawn from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Building Energy Codes Program and the Building Codes Assistance Project (BCAP). For more detailed information about building energy codes, visit the DOE and BCAP websites.

Missouri does not have a statewide building or energy code for private residential and commercial buildings, and there currently is no state regulatory agency authorized to promulgate, adopt, or update construction codes on a statewide basis. All state-owned buildings must comply with Missouri Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard for Public Buildings, which is based on the 2006 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), beginning on July 2009, or the latest version of the Code rather than the current standard of ASHRAE Standard 90. 

As of July 1, 2015, state-owned commercial buildings must comply with the 2015 IECC, pursuant to Section 8.812 RSMo.’s requirement that “Such standard shall be at least as stringent as the International Energy Conservation Code 2006, or the latest version thereof.”

All local jurisdictions except class III counties (i.e., counties that have an assessed valuation less than $600,000,000 (48.020 R.S. Mo.) have the right to adopt an energy code. Large jurisdictions in Missouri have adopted the 2009 IECC (St. Louis metropolitan area cities and St. Louis County) or 2012 IECC (Kansas City, Independence, Springfield, and Columbia), some of which include amendments or are non-binding.

It is typical for Missouri communities to adopt codes on a 6-year cycle rather than the 3-year code development cycle for ICC.  It is also typical for communities to follow the code adoption of surrounding communities. These adoption practices have led to two trends in Missouri: eastern Missouri communities generally are moving or have moved to the 2009 I-Codes, and western Missouri communities generally are moving or have moved to the 2012 I-Codes.