Building Energy Code
West Virginia has adopted updated building energy codes (residential code effective September 2022, commercial code effective April 2019) that set efficiency standards for new construction and major renovations. If your local jurisdiction has adopted these statewide codes, your builder must comply with them during construction, verified through plan review and inspection by local building officials; if your jurisdiction has not adopted them, you should verify code requirements with your contractor.
West Virginia's statewide building energy codes, administered by the State Fire Commission, are voluntary for local adoption but become mandatory enforcement requirements once a jurisdiction adopts them. You must comply with the applicable code (residential or commercial) through plan review and inspection; jurisdictions without adoption place compliance responsibility on builders and contractors to follow code provisions.
The West Virginia State Fire Commission maintains voluntary statewide building energy codes updated as of 2019, with residential requirements effective 9/30/2022 and commercial requirements effective 4/30/2019. Local jurisdictions voluntarily adopt these codes; compliant jurisdictions enforce through official plan review and inspection, while non-adopting jurisdictions rely on builder/contractor self-compliance. The program applies to both residential and commercial new construction and major renovations.
Program details
- Program ID
- 1821
- Last updated
- 5/21/2025
Eligibility
- Sectors
- commercial residential
- Technologies
- comprehensive measures/whole building
Program summary
Much of the information presented in this summary is drawn from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Building Energy Codes Program and the Building Codes Assistance Project (BCAP). For more detailed information about building energy codes, visit the DOE and BCAP websites.
The West Virginia State Fire Commission is responsible for adopting and promulgating statewide construction codes. These codes may be voluntarily adopted at the local level. Local jurisdictions must adopt the statewide requirements in order to enforce them at the local level. For jurisdictions that adopt the statewide codes, compliance is determined by plan review and inspection by local building officials. If local jurisdictions do not adopt the statewide codes, contractors, builders, and architects are responsible for complying with the provisions of the codes. The Fire Commission most recently updated the voluntary building energy codes in 2019. The residential code took effect on 9/30/22; the commercial code took effect on 4/30/19.
Contact & resources
- Contact email
- Kelly.A.Bragg@wv.gov
- Additional resources
Please verify current program details with the administering agency before making any financial decisions.
