(Washington, DC) On Wednesday, February 11, 2026, the DC Department of Buildings (DOB) was designated the new lead in construction code development in the District, marking a major advancement for the city’s code adoption process. One of DOB’s first actions will be to accelerate, by the end of 2027, the adoption of new construction and energy codes. As a result of this change, the Construction Codes Coordinating Board (CCCB) has sunset and the District government thanks its board members for their dedicated service to the city.

“This change to how the District updates its construction codes not only puts us on par with our neighboring jurisdictions, but also will accelerate our ability to meet our Net Zero and other energy goals,” said DOB Director Brian Hanlon. “As we look forward to DOB's upcoming code development work, we thank the Construction Codes Coordinating Board, especially its longest-serving member with 40 years of code volunteerism, Chairman Marc Fetterman, for their many years of work on the District‘s behalf.”

The CCCB was established by a Mayoral Order in March 2009 to update DC construction codes in three-year cycles. However, meeting the three-year cycle timeline has become challenging due to administrative complexities. As a result, the District’s current construction codes are more than 10 years old, and the board’s existing work has focused on approving amendments from 2021. While the current codes prioritize high construction standards, the new building codes to be adopted in 2027 will further strengthen building safety and energy efficiency.

“As DOB now leads code development, we are implementing a process that will be streamlined, efficient, and consistent in adopting new code cycles,” Director Hanlon added. “By accelerating our adoption of the 2024 construction codes, we will dramatically narrow the gap with our peers and put us on the same code development timeline with them moving forward. Our process will continue to rely on valued feedback from those who served on the CCCB, industry experts, and other stakeholders, through several public engagement opportunities."

Thanks to the CCCB

The District thanks all who have served on the CCCB over the years for their service, including these current members:

• Marc Fetterman, Architectural Design Professional
• Jeff Reiss, DOB Deputy Chief Building Official
• Michael Brown, DOB Deputy Chief Building Official
• Anthony Dale, Mayoral Delegate
• Keith David Parsons, DOB Strategic Enforcement Administrator
• Edward F. Kauffman, Battalion Fire Chief, DC Fire and EMS Department
• Casey Studhalter, District Department of Energy and Environment Representative
• Matthew Borger, DC Council Delegate
• Jason Wright, Building Industry-Commercial and Industrial Representative
• Harrison Miller, Building Industry-Residential and Multi-Family Representative
• Gus Mehrdad, Mechanical Engineering Professional
• Joel Causey, Private Citizen

DOB was restored as the code development lead in the District through Mayor’s Orders 2026-021 and 2026-022 (prior to the CCCB, predecessor agency the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs led the effort). The orders are available at dob.dc.gov and will be in the D.C. Register.

Mayor Bowser’s transformative Growth Agenda is focused on making it easier to do business in Washington, DC by cutting red tape, enhancing revenue, and encouraging commercial investment. In addition to speeding up the code development process, initiatives include:

• A revised Building Conversion Permit Fee that significantly reduces the cost of permits for residential conversion projects. The new fee structure makes residential conversions, particularly office-to-residential, more financially feasible, with a revised fee that is on par with permit costs for new construction projects.
• Upcoming expansions to DOB’s Pop-up Permits program, which allows the temporary use of previously vacant buildings for up to one year without going through the traditional permitting process.
• The Vacant to Vibrant Amendment Act of 2025, which more quickly returns vacant and blighted properties back into productive use by incentivizing property owners to minimize the duration of vacancies, creating tools for the District government to better prevent vacancy and blight, and addressing violations of the law.
• Zoning Decision Appeals Amendment Act of 2025, which will streamline zoning appeals and reduce bad faith appeals that stall new housing and development.  
• Transfer and Recordation Tax Appeals Amendment Act of 2025, which will provide an appeals process for onerous taxation that inhibits investment in commercial properties.