Michigan Homes Still Follow the 2015 Residential Code

Short answer: for houses, Michigan is still on the 2015 Michigan Residential Code. The 2021 edition was due to take effect in August 2025, but a court order paused it. Commercial projects are different: they have followed the 2021 Michigan Building Code since April 9, 2025.

What happened

In May 2025 Michigan filed updated residential rules based on the 2021 International Residential Code, together with a new residential energy code based on the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code. They were set to take effect on August 29, 2025.

Two builders’ associations sued the state in June 2025. On July 7, 2025 a Michigan Court of Claims judge signed a stipulated order under which the state agreed to hold off on implementing the residential code and energy code updates until the lawsuits are resolved. The state also took down access to the 2021 Michigan Residential Code book. While the order stands, the 2015 residential code and the residential provisions of the 2015 energy code continue to apply.

Why the builders objected

The builders argued that the energy provisions do not meet Michigan’s cost-effectiveness test, which requires the cost of an improvement to be recovered within seven years. Their other objections included that the state did not follow the required public process for the rules, and that the rules would require buying several separate code books where state law calls for one residential code book.

Which code applies to your project

• One- and two-family homes and townhouses: the 2015 Michigan Residential Code, with the 2015 residential energy provisions, as of our last check in October 2026.
• Commercial and multifamily buildings: the 2021 Michigan Building Code, effective April 9, 2025, with no grace period. The 2021 commercial energy code took effect April 22, 2025.
• Electrical work: follows the National Electrical Code as adopted under Michigan’s separate electrical rules, which were not part of the paused residential update.

What this means for your drawings

• Check the date, not the headlines. News about the 2021 residential code can make it sound as if it is already in force. For houses, it is not.
• Insulation and energy forms follow the 2015 edition for homes while the order stands, which is less strict than the paused 2021 requirements.
• The cover sheet names the edition. A set drawn to the wrong one can be returned by the plan reviewer.
• The situation can change. If the case ends and the 2021 code takes effect, projects submitted after that date would follow it. Ask your building department how it will treat applications submitted before the change.

Planning your project

If you are about to submit a house project, design to the 2015 code unless your building department tells you otherwise, and confirm the current status with the state or your local office on the day you submit. If your project is commercial, the 2021 code already applies, and there is no residential pause to wait for.

How we handle it

Every set we seal lists the code edition it was designed to. For Michigan projects we confirm the status of the residential code before drafting, because it is the one piece that can still change. See our Michigan permit engineering page for what Michigan building departments typically ask for.

Sources

• Court pauses new energy efficiency building standards (Michigan Advance)
• Code books (Michigan Bureau of Construction Codes)
• Legal action (Home Builders Association of Michigan)

This article is general information, not a code interpretation for a specific project. The status of the residential code can change with the court case, so confirm it with the state or your building department. Checked October 2026.