Ohio’s commercial and residential building codes are based on the International Code Council’s International Building (2021 IBC) and Residential (2018 IRC) codes. The Board of Building Standards sets the building code for Ohio and provides training and certification for local building authorities across Ohio. The Board of Building Appeals (BBA) hears requests for variance from the Ohio Building Code.
The 2024 Ohio Building Code is based on the 2021 International Building Code and goes into effect March 1, 2024. The 2019 Residential Code of Ohio is based on the 2018 International Residential Code with Ohio amendments and went into effect July 1, 2019.
Building Code Compliance Software for Ohio
Plan Analyst code compliance software programs make it easy for building officials, architects and other designers to quickly perform commercial and residential building code plan reviews / code studies. Plan Analyst for the 2021 IBC and Plan Analyst for the 2018 IRC simplifies the plan review / code study process enabling compliance to specific code years. This proven software allows modifications to accommodate local amendments, where applicable. Users have the ability to add code requirements and to add to the checklist. Changes can be made permanent by changing the data file using the setup section of Plan Analyst, or specific reports can be edited for special conditions.
Plan Analyst Calculators: Deck – Sign – Beam & Column
Plan Analyst Deck, Sign and Beam & Column Calculators are additional simple and effective design and code review software tools that will quickly become your go-to resources when working on associated tasks.
Users of Plan Analyst in Ohio have included:
| City of Beachwood | Berardi + Partners, Inc. |
| City of Cuyahoga Falls | Carter Lumber Co |
| City of Mansfield | Kelly Architectural Services |
| City of Mentor | NASA Glen Research Center |
| City of Springfield | Oak Group Inc. |
| City of Wooster | Reztark Design Studio |
Building and Residential Code Resources in Ohio
- Sign up for the Board of Building Standards monthly newsletter
- View the 2024 Ohio Building Code free online via ICC
- View the 2019 Residential Code of Ohio free online via ICC or the Ohio Department of Commerce.pdf
- View all Ohio I-Codes from ICC
- Purchase Plan Analyst for the IBC and or IRC to automate and simplify your plan reviews / code studies plananalyst.com.
Energy Code Compliance Software for Ohio
Visit the U.S. Department of Energy website to see the latest on energy code adoption in Ohio, including the use of COMcheck and REScheck Energy Code compliance software. COMcheck enables architects, builders, designers, and contractors to determine whether new commercial or high-rise residential buildings, additions, and alterations meet the requirements of the IECC and ASHRAE Standard 90.1. REScheck product enables builders, designers, and contractors to determine whether new homes, additions, and alterations meet the requirements of the IECC or a number of state energy codes.
The “Building Codes Assistance Project” also provides information on Ohio’s building energy codes.
FEMA Building Code Adoption Tracking
The FEMA Building Code Adoption Tracking program reports on the status of hazard-resistant building code adoption in each state. Ohio is in FEMA Region 5. Read the 2023 Region 5 fact sheet showing the annual metric of the percent of communities adopting hazard-resistant building codes in Ohio.
AIA and ICC
American Institute of Architects – AIA Ohio represents architects in the state. There are around 6,000 registered and reciprocal architects in Ohio.
Ohio has ICC Chapters throughout the State.
Ohio code adoption status on the ICC website