Virginia Building code adoption
Statewide mandatory minimum · 6 cities tracked · 0 with amendments.
Overview
Governance
Statewide
Cities tracked
6
The state sets a single mandatory edition for every jurisdiction. Cities may only adopt more restrictive amendments, never less.
Adopted building codes (state level)
Statewide mandatory minimum. Click a code to open its full adoption atlas across all 50 states.
City-level adoption
| City | IBC edition | Amendments | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexandria | 2021 | — | — |
| Arlington | 2021 | — | — |
| Chesapeake | 2021 | — | — |
| Hampton | 2021 | — | — |
| Newport News | 2021 | — | — |
| Richmond | 2021 | — | — |
Quirks & watch-items
Quirks & watch-items
- Virginia USBC is one of the strongest statewide codes — Board makes "as few amendments as possible"
- Virginia uses independent cities — they are NOT within any county
- Arlington is a county, not a city
- USBC effective date was Jan 18, 2024 — with a 1-year transition period allowing prior edition
- 2024 USBC development underway based on 2024 IBC — base document published June 2025
- DHCD provides free ICC Digital Codes Premium subscriptions to VA localities