Pennsylvania — Code Adoption Summary
Adoption model: Statewide Uniform Construction Code (UCC); municipalities elect to enforce locally (opt-in administration) but the technical code is statewide. Philadelphia administers its own.
Last verified: 2026-07-03
Confidence: verified
Primary sources: PA Dept. of Labor & Industry, UCC — https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dli (Uniform Construction Code) · ICC PA
Statewide adopted codes — 2021 ICC family (permit applications on/after 2026-01-01)
| Code family | Adopted edition | Notes | Source |
|---|
| Building | 2021 IBC (UCC) | eff. for permits ≥ 2026-01-01 (prior: 2018 IBC) | pa.gov/dli |
| Residential | 2021 IRC | | " |
| Electrical (NEC) | NEC 2020 | prior UCC used NEC 2017 | ba-inc.com / pa.gov |
| Mechanical | 2021 IMC | | pa.gov/dli |
| Plumbing | IPC 2021 (statewide); Philadelphia has its own plumbing code | | " |
| Energy (IECC) | IECC 2021 | prior: 2018 IECC | up.codes/pennsylvania |
| Fuel Gas / Fire | 2021 IFGC / IFC | | pa.gov/dli |
Adoption model & precedence
- UCC is statewide; ~2,500+ municipalities choose to enforce it themselves or defer to L&I / a third-party agency, but the technical requirements are uniform.
- Transition trap: projects with an executed contract or permit application before 2026-01-01 may still fall under the 2018 ICC / NEC 2017 family — confirm by application date.
- AHJ = municipal code office or its designated third-party agency (or L&I).
Major cities / counties
| Jurisdiction | Notes | Building dept. |
|---|
| Philadelphia | Administers its own adoption of the ICC family (moved to 2018 IBC/2017 NEC; now aligning to 2021/2020). Own plumbing code. | phila.gov/li |
| Pittsburgh | UCC (PLI enforces) | pittsburghpa.gov/pli |
| Allentown / Erie / Reading | Municipal UCC enforcement | respective offices |
AHJ fallback (when local adoption is unverified)
- State baseline (≥2026-01-01 permits): 2021 IBC/IMC/IPC, NEC 2020, IECC 2021.
- Action: confirm application date (2018/2017 vs 2021/2020 family) and, in Philadelphia, its own administration + plumbing code.
Change log
- 2026-07-03 — created; verified UCC moved to 2021 ICC family + NEC 2020 + IECC 2021 for permits on/after 2026-01-01 (prior 2018/2017).
