The Canadian Board for Harmonized Construction Codes (CBHCC) has released the 2025 editions of the National Model Codes, which focus on the health, safety, and accessibility of homes and buildings, as well as the protection of buildings from damage and the preservation of the environment.

During this code cycle, the CBHCC focused on code harmonization, health and safety, accessibility, alterations to existing buildings, and climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Some highlights from the 2025 editions of the National Model Code include:

• Expansion of the accessibility objective to apply to all types of dwelling units, while maintaining flexibility for provinces and territories to adjust how requirements are applied to reflect local housing needs and priorities.
• Introduction of a requirement for a passive vertical radon stack in dwelling units and home-type care occupancies, providing measures to help reduce radon exposure.
• Inclusion of projected climatic data that anticipates climate trends over the next 50 years, supporting building designs that are better prepared for future climate conditions.
• Expansion of the environmental objective to address greenhouse gas emissions.
• Introduction of a harmonized framework that aims to reduce the operational greenhouse gas emissions of houses and buildings, offering provinces and territories a harmonized pathway to reduce emissions over time by choosing the performance level that best suits their needs.
• Introduction of energy efficiency requirements for the alteration of existing buildings, offering building officials a harmonized framework to enforce code requirements in retrofits.

A summary of significant changes in the 2025 codes is available on CBHCC’s website.