Building Codes Assistance Project

[Updated February 5, 2009]

Montana is in the process of adopting a new statewide energy code based on the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). The last code change occurred in 2005 with adoption of the 2003 IECC with Montana amendments. Montana will be one of the first in the nation to adopt the new code, possibly in early summer of 2009. The new energy code is a product of the International Code Council (ICC) proceedings that were held in Minneapolis, MN in September 2008.

Codes in Montana are adopted by the Montana Department of Labor and Industry, usually following the vote and recommendations of the Building Codes Council. The Codes Council usually recommends adoption of the most recent ICC codes and sometimes includes amendments. Often the Codes Council approves the amendments after receiving testimony and proposals from individuals and organizations.

The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) plans to request a code amendment to increase the crawlspace wall insulation to R-19/20 as listed in the 2003 IECC. Savings versus cost analysis for the increased crawlspace insulation shows a simple payback of about 5-7 years. Insulating the crawlspace floor to R-30 and treating the crawlspace as unconditioned space is an option.

An introductory meeting was held on November 6, 2008 by the Montana Building Codes Bureau to ask members of the building codes community about restarting to the process to instead adopt the 2009 IECC. The initial reaction from the participants (including the Montana Building Industry, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, code officials, builders, a state representative from Missoula, the state Department of Environmental Equality, NEEA, and NAIMA) was uniformly supportive of pursuing adoption of the 2009 IECC.

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For more information about the 2009 IECC code or the adoption process contact Paul Tschida at Montana DEQ at 406-841-5232 or email ptschida@mt.gov.

For more Montana code status information, please consult the BCAP Montana Code Status page.