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The Canadian Board for Harmonized Construction Codes (CBHCC) has released the 2025 editions of the National Model Codes which bring forward new revisions but some provinces – such as B.C. – have already implemented new standards or have outstripped the current codes.

“The 2025 National Model Codes aim to create a harmonized framework that addresses building safety, accessibility, energy efficiency and climate adaptation,” said Silvia Garcia, co-chair of the CBHCC and vice-president, regulation and innovation, Régie du bâtiment du Québec.

The include the (NBC), , and . The model codes have no force in law until they are adopted in part or whole by a local or provincial government authority having jurisdiction.

B.C.‘s building code (BCBC) allowed 18-storey encapsulated mass timber construction (EMTC) in 2024 with Ontario joining in a year later. The 2020 NBC set the structures at 12 storeys and 42 metres in height while the new 2025 NBC code retains the 12 storeys (for residential or Group C structures and office occupancies or Group D) but raises the height to 50 metres.

The national fire code on EMTC has been updated to “reduce the risk of fire spread between storeys of EMTC buildings during construction, including performance and prescriptive options.”

As well, as leading in EMTC innovation, B.C. has gone further.

“We also introduced the new requirements for adaptable dwellings and seismic design in an update to the BCBC in March 2025. All three of these changes were made in anticipation of the new requirements in NBC 2025,” said a statement from the B.C. Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs.

B.C.’s new adaptable-dwelling provisions ensure homes can adjust to changing needs due to illness, injury or aging. In large residential buildings, and in ground-floor units of smaller apartment buildings, one in every five units must now include accessible doorways, travel paths and maneuverability.

“We’ve also led on energy‑efficient, low‑carbon construction—becoming the first province to adopt a tiered performance code with the BC Energy Step Code in 2017 and adding the complementary Zero Carbon Step Code in 2023 to set operational emissions‑reduction targets for new buildings,” the B.C. ministry said.

Alberta’s Ministry of Municipal Affairs is reviewing the new codes and working with the Alberta Safety Codes Council to engage stakeholders.

“Our current provincial building code already supports advancing accessibility, the use of mass-timber construction, and energy code compliance, and we’ll carefully consider how any potential changes could affect these areas,” the ministry said via email.

Winnipeg Construction Association’s Darryl Harrison, director of stakeholder engagement, echoes a concern of the industry when new code changes occur. In Manitoba, the government has 18 months to implement the 2025 model code changes, he said.

“What industry wants is clarity on the part of the province when that is going to happen,” he said, adding the industry needs to be prepared.

Harrison pointed out projects have lead-in time for planning and permits.

“What we are saying is give us advance warning when the new code is being adopted,” he said.

The National Building Code of Canada attempts to provide a means of looking forward to build in accordance with climate change, which in the past has looked at historical data.

“Updates to the climate design data in Table C-2 by taking into consideration projected future changes over a 50-year time horizon,” according to the CBHCC summation of changes.

The 2025 NBC continues the previous NBC focus on accessibility by expanding accessibility to all types of dwelling units, “with flexibility provided for provinces and territories to adjust the application to suit local needs.”

A new subsection 3.8.4 for adaptable dwelling units includes reinforcing stud walls in bathrooms for grab bar installation while a new subsection 3.8.5 for visitable dwelling unions designated units in multi-unit residential requires units to have new adaptability features and visitability features such as wider travel paths and washrooms to accommodate mobility devices.

A new NBC section in Part 9, not only defines terms for an existing building verses a heritage building, but clarifies the application and requirements for energy performance in the alteration of existing buildings.

Other key points brought out in the NBC are:

• Completion of the points-based prescriptive trade-off path for all energy performance tiers, maintaining flexibility for builders to choose energy conservation measures that are the most cost-effective for their design.
• The introduction of an energy use intensity path for compliance with energy performance tiers, providing builders with an additional option to demonstrate compliance that recognizes the inherent efficiencies of smaller, more compact housing forms.
• The provision of simple, optional prescriptive packages for builders to demonstrate compliance with energy performance tiers 1 and 5.

Electronic versions of the codes are available for free through the .