Due to the delayed timeline of the 2024 IECC code books and the shifting legal landscape on building electrification requirements, the Northwest Regional Code Cohort had to revise its original Net Zero Roadmap. The new roadmap was finalized in June of 2025. In addition, Longmont and other jurisdictions paused for the State to develop its Model Low Energy and Carbon Code. These factors have delayed bringing code amendments to City Council until early 2026.
Updating and enhancing building codes is a continuous process that includes rigorous evaluation, regional planning, and stakeholder engagement. Longmont's policy is to adopt each new version of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) as it becomes available.
The City of Longmont participated in the Northwest Metropolitan Regional Energy Code Cohort to review the 2024 IECC and the State's Model Low Energy and Carbon Code and establish a regional roadmap to achieve net zero new construction codes by 2030. Municipalities are required to adopt the model low energy and carbon code, or code that achieves equivalent or better energy performance, when they update a building code after July 1, 2026. The Cohort developed amendments to the 2024 IECC and the State's code for jurisdictions to consider as they adopt the next cycle of energy code.
Longmont City Council will consider code recommendations presented by staff in 2025, including the delayed 2024 IECC, the State's Model Low Energy and Carbon Code, and the Cohort's recommended amendments. To help inform a decision by City Council, City Staff contracted with a building modeling firm to look at the impacts (financial and climate-related) of the 2024 IECC, the State's code, and Cohort amendments.