# Delaware Building Code: Which Editions Are Adopted

> Which I-Code editions Delaware is recorded as adopting, what the record does not cover, and how to confirm the edition governing a project.

- Canonical: https://harth.build/resources/code-adoption/delaware-building-code-adoption/
- Last updated: 2026-09-07
- Data source: Adopted editions transcribed from the [ICC Master I-Code Adoption Chart (January 2024)](https://www.iccsafe.org/wp-content/uploads/Master-I-Code-Adoption-Chart-1.pdf), reproduced with the chart's own legend so an “X” is not mistaken for a statewide adoption. ICC notes that not all jurisdictions report their adoptions and publishes updates at [iccsafe.org/adoptions](https://www.iccsafe.org/adoptions). The current edition, its effective date and the state amendments are published by [Delaware's official building-code publication](https://delcode.delaware.gov/title9/index.html), which controls.

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Building code | Some jurisdictions only (International Building Code) |
| Residential code | Some jurisdictions only (International Residential Code) |
| Residential energy code | 2018 (IECC residential provisions) |
| Fire code | Not adopted (International Fire Code) |
| Record date | January 2024 (the chart's publication date, not today's adoption) |

## Direct answer

Delaware's adopted code editions, as recorded in the ICC Master I-Code Adoption Chart (January 2024): the building code in some jurisdictions only, the residential code in some jurisdictions only, 2018 IECC and no statewide fire code. The chart gives an edition year for 4 of the 17 I-Codes it tracks in Delaware; the remainder are either adopted only by individual agencies, replaced by a state-written code, or not adopted at all. A chart entry is not an effective date and it is not the amended text. ICC records adoptions as jurisdictions report them, so a state that moved edition after January 2024 will still show the older year here. Confirm both the edition and its effective date at Delaware's official building-code publication, then read the state amendments, because an amended definition or table changes the requirement even when the edition matches.

*Content and cited inputs reviewed by [Scott Barrington](https://nz.linkedin.com/in/barrington), Harth founder and architectural technology specialist · Published 2026-09-07 · Updated 2026-09-07.*


![Code-adoption status diagram: Delaware Building Code: Which Editions Are Adopted](https://efwwel0vyt9vy5so.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/images/code-adoption/delaware-building-code-adoption/diagram-1344.webp)

*Which I-Code editions Delaware is recorded as adopting, what the record does not cover, and how to confirm the edition governing a project.*

## What must be verified before using this guidance?

Every I-Code the ICC Master I-Code Adoption Chart (January 2024) tracks, as it records Delaware:

| Code | Recorded adoption |
| --- | --- |
| International Building Code (IBC) | Some jurisdictions only |
| International Residential Code (IRC) | Some jurisdictions only |
| International Fire Code (IFC) | Not adopted |
| International Mechanical Code (IMC) | 2021 |
| International Plumbing Code (IPC) | 2021 |
| International Private Sewage Disposal Code (IPSDC) | Some jurisdictions only |
| International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) | 2021 |
| International Green Construction Code (IgCC) | Not adopted |
| International Energy Conservation Code — Residential (IECC-R) | 2018 |
| International Energy Conservation Code — Commercial (IECC-C) | ASHRAE 90.1-2016 |
| International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC) | Some jurisdictions only |
| International Existing Building Code (IEBC) | Some jurisdictions only |
| International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) | Some jurisdictions only |
| ICC Performance Code (ICCPC) | Not adopted |
| International Wildland-Urban Interface Code (IWUIC) | Not adopted |
| International Zoning Code (IZC) | Not adopted |
| ICC 700 National Green Building Standard (ICC 700) | Some jurisdictions only |

Delaware has a recorded edition year for 4 of the 17 codes: 2021 for the mechanical, plumbing and fuel gas codes; 2018 for the residential energy code. The building, residential, private sewage, property maintenance, existing buildings, swimming pool and spa and green building standard codes appear as adopted by individual state or local agencies rather than as a statewide standard, so whether they apply depends on the permit jurisdiction for the project address. For the commercial energy code the chart records ASHRAE 90.1-2016 in place of an IECC edition. No adoption at all is recorded for the fire, green construction, performance, wildland-urban interface and zoning codes.

Source: [ICC Master I-Code Adoption Chart (January 2024)](https://www.iccsafe.org/wp-content/uploads/Master-I-Code-Adoption-Chart-1.pdf).

## How Delaware compares with its neighbours

| State | Building (IBC) | Residential (IRC) | Residential energy (IECC-R) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Delaware** | Some jurisdictions only | Some jurisdictions only | 2018 |
| Maryland | 2021 | 2021 | 2021 |
| Pennsylvania | 2018 | 2018 | 2018 |
| New Jersey | 2021 | 2021 | 2021 |
| Virginia | 2021 | 2021 | 2021 |

Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Virginia differ from Delaware on the building code alone. A practice working across that border is working to two editions, whatever the office standard says.

## Where Delaware sits in the national record

Delaware is one of **7 jurisdictions with no statewide IBC edition** in this record. Adoption runs through individual state agencies or local programmes instead, so there is no single answer for the state and the permit jurisdiction for the address decides.

Across all 17 codes the chart tracks, Delaware has a recorded edition for **4**, which ranks it 43rd of 51. A low count is not a gap in regulation — it usually means the state legislates through its own documents, or leaves the discipline to local adoption.

## What the chart does and does not tell you

The chart's own legend matters more than the numbers:

- **An edition year** means one or more state or local agencies adopted that edition. It does not mean every building in the state is designed to it.
- **“Some jurisdictions only”** is the chart's `X`: the code is in use somewhere in the state but is not the standard for all buildings.
- **“Not adopted”** is a blank cell — no state or local jurisdiction reported adopting that code.
- **“State-written code”** means the state publishes its own document in place of the model edition, so the model text is a reference, not the law.

ICC states plainly that not every jurisdiction notifies it of an adoption, and this chart is dated **January 2024**. Treat it as the starting point for a search, never as the answer.

## How to confirm the edition that governs a Delaware project

1. Open [Delaware's official building-code publication](https://delcode.delaware.gov/title9/index.html) and find the currently adopted code list with its effective date.
2. Check whether the permit authority for the project address is the state or a local programme with its own adoption.
3. Read the state amendments alongside the model edition — an amended table or definition changes the requirement even when the edition matches.
4. Record the permit application date. A code change usually applies from an effective date, and applications filed before it are normally reviewed under the previous edition.
5. Get the answer in writing from the authority having jurisdiction before it drives a design decision.

## Delaware code-basis worksheet

Fill this in once per project and keep it with the drawing set. Every row is a question a plan reviewer can ask, and the answer changes with the address and the application date, not with the state.

| Item | Project entry |
| --- | --- |
| Project address and permit jurisdiction | |
| State programme or local programme as AHJ | |
| Building / residential edition and effective date | |
| Energy code edition (or state-written code) | |
| Fire, mechanical, plumbing and fuel-gas editions | |
| Accessibility standard and edition | |
| State amendments consulted (citation) | |
| Local amendments consulted (citation) | |
| Permit application date and vesting rule | |
| Written AHJ confirmation (date, name) | |

**This worksheet records a determination; it does not make one.** The authority having jurisdiction decides which edition and which amendments apply.

## Where can you explore related guidance?

- [Explore all code adoption guidance](https://harth.build/resources/code-adoption.md)
- [Maryland Building Code: Which Editions Are Adopted](https://harth.build/resources/code-adoption/maryland-building-code-adoption.md)
- [Pennsylvania Building Code: Which Editions Are Adopted](https://harth.build/resources/code-adoption/pennsylvania-building-code-adoption.md)
- [New Jersey Building Code: Which Editions Are Adopted](https://harth.build/resources/code-adoption/new-jersey-building-code-adoption.md)
- [Virginia Building Code: Which Editions Are Adopted](https://harth.build/resources/code-adoption/virginia-building-code-adoption.md)

## Sources and method

Adopted editions transcribed from the [ICC Master I-Code Adoption Chart (January 2024)](https://www.iccsafe.org/wp-content/uploads/Master-I-Code-Adoption-Chart-1.pdf), reproduced with the chart's own legend so an “X” is not mistaken for a statewide adoption. ICC notes that not all jurisdictions report their adoptions and publishes updates at [iccsafe.org/adoptions](https://www.iccsafe.org/adoptions). The current edition, its effective date and the state amendments are published by [Delaware's official building-code publication](https://delcode.delaware.gov/title9/index.html), which controls.

### Source links

- [iccsafe.org](https://www.iccsafe.org/wp-content/uploads/Master-I-Code-Adoption-Chart-1.pdf)

- [iccsafe.org](https://www.iccsafe.org/adoptions)

- [delcode.delaware.gov](https://delcode.delaware.gov/title9/index.html)

## Frequently asked questions

### Which building code edition does Delaware use?

The ICC Master I-Code Adoption Chart (January 2024) does not record a single statewide IBC edition for Delaware. Adoption there runs through individual state or local agencies, so the governing edition depends on the permit jurisdiction for the project address rather than on a statewide rule.

### Why does this page not simply state today's code?

Because the underlying record is dated. The ICC Master I-Code Adoption Chart (January 2024) is the most complete cross-state source available, and ICC notes that not every jurisdiction reports its adoptions. Publishing it with its date attached and sending you to Delaware's official building-code publication is honest; publishing an undated “current edition” would not be.

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