# Hawaii Building Code: Which Editions Are Adopted

> Which I-Code editions Hawaii 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/hawaii-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 [Hawaii's official building-code publication](https://ags.hawaii.gov/bcc/building-code-rules/), which controls.

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Building code | 2018 (International Building Code) |
| Residential code | 2018 (International Residential Code) |
| Residential energy code | 2021 (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

Hawaii's adopted code editions, as recorded in the ICC Master I-Code Adoption Chart (January 2024): 2018 IBC, 2018 IRC, 2021 IECC and no statewide fire code. The chart gives an edition year for 5 of the 17 I-Codes it tracks in Hawaii; 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 Hawaii'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: Hawaii Building Code: Which Editions Are Adopted](https://efwwel0vyt9vy5so.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/images/code-adoption/hawaii-building-code-adoption/diagram-1344.webp)

*Which I-Code editions Hawaii 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 Hawaii:

| Code | Recorded adoption |
| --- | --- |
| International Building Code (IBC) | 2018 |
| International Residential Code (IRC) | 2018 |
| International Fire Code (IFC) | Not adopted |
| International Mechanical Code (IMC) | Not adopted |
| International Plumbing Code (IPC) | Some jurisdictions only |
| International Private Sewage Disposal Code (IPSDC) | Not adopted |
| International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) | Not adopted |
| International Green Construction Code (IgCC) | Not adopted |
| International Energy Conservation Code — Residential (IECC-R) | 2021 |
| International Energy Conservation Code — Commercial (IECC-C) | 2021 |
| International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC) | Not adopted |
| International Existing Building Code (IEBC) | 2018 |
| International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) | Not adopted |
| 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) | Not adopted |

Hawaii has a recorded edition year for 5 of the 17 codes: 2021 for the residential energy and commercial energy codes; 2018 for the building, residential and existing buildings codes. The plumbing code appears as adopted by individual state or local agencies rather than as a statewide standard, so whether it applies depends on the permit jurisdiction for the project address. No adoption at all is recorded for the fire, mechanical, private sewage, fuel gas, green construction, property maintenance, swimming pool and spa, performance, wildland-urban interface, zoning and green building standard 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 Hawaii compares with its neighbours

| State | Building (IBC) | Residential (IRC) | Residential energy (IECC-R) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Hawaii** | 2018 | 2018 | 2021 |
| California | 2021 | 2021 | State-written code |
| Washington | 2018 | 2018 | 2018 |
| Oregon | 2021 | 2021 | 2021 |
| Nevada | Some jurisdictions only | Some jurisdictions only | 2021 |

California, Oregon and Nevada differ from Hawaii on the building code alone. A practice working across that border is working to two editions, whatever the office standard says.

## Where Hawaii sits in the national record

Of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, **13 are recorded on the 2018 IBC**, 18 on a later edition, 13 on an earlier one, and 7 with no statewide IBC edition at all. Hawaii is at or ahead of the national middle on the building code, so the risk runs the other way: work arriving from a slower-moving state may be drawn to an older edition.

The building code and the residential energy code are on **different editions** here — 2018 against 2021. 18 states show the same split, which is why the energy code is worth confirming as a separate question rather than assuming it moved with the building code.

Across all 17 codes the chart tracks, Hawaii has a recorded edition for **5**, which ranks it 36th 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 Hawaii project

1. Open [Hawaii's official building-code publication](https://ags.hawaii.gov/bcc/building-code-rules/) 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.

## Hawaii 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)
- [California Building Code: Which Editions Are Adopted](https://harth.build/resources/code-adoption/california-building-code-adoption.md)
- [Washington Building Code: Which Editions Are Adopted](https://harth.build/resources/code-adoption/washington-building-code-adoption.md)
- [Oregon Building Code: Which Editions Are Adopted](https://harth.build/resources/code-adoption/oregon-building-code-adoption.md)
- [Nevada Building Code: Which Editions Are Adopted](https://harth.build/resources/code-adoption/nevada-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 [Hawaii's official building-code publication](https://ags.hawaii.gov/bcc/building-code-rules/), 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)

- [ags.hawaii.gov](https://ags.hawaii.gov/bcc/building-code-rules/)

## Frequently asked questions

### Which building code edition does Hawaii use?

The ICC Master I-Code Adoption Chart (January 2024) records Hawaii on the 2018 International Building Code. That is the edition ICC was told about; the effective date, the amendments and any newer adoption live with Hawaii's official building-code publication, which is the source to check before relying on it.

### 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 Hawaii's official building-code publication is honest; publishing an undated “current edition” would not be.

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