ICC 700‑2025 sets green rules

The National Association of Home Builders and the International Code Council released ICC 700-2025 on April 22, the newest National Green Building Standard for residential construction and remodeling. (nahb.org) The standard is the fifth edition of the National Green Building Standard, or NGBS, and it was approved through the American National Standards Institute process. It applies to single-family homes, multifamily buildings, mixed-use developments and land development projects. (nahb.org 1) (nahb.org 2) Green building standards work like a scoring system for how a home is designed, built and operated. The NGBS grades projects on six areas, including energy efficiency, water efficiency, resource use, indoor environmental quality, site development, and operation and maintenance. (nahb.org) The 2025 update adds new pathways for low-carbon design and alternative energy compliance. It also expands resilience practices meant to help homes withstand natural disasters and remain livable after extreme weather. (nahb.org) (ngbs.com) One new feature is property-level certification for existing multifamily and mixed-use communities with multiple buildings. Home Innovation Research Labs said that lets an entire managed property be certified as one project for the first time. (nahb.org) (ngbs.com) The existing-building chapter was also substantially revised, with more flexible compliance options for remodeling and renovation work. That is a direct change from the 2020 edition, which remains available but is no longer the newest version. (nahb.org 1) (nahb.org 2) Projects can still be certified at five levels: Certified, Bronze, Silver, Gold and Emerald. Land development projects use a separate one-star to four-star rating system. (nahb.org) The standard has become a major compliance route for residential green building programs. NAHB says the International Green Construction Code references the NGBS for all residential buildings four stories or less, and allows it as an alternate path for taller residential buildings. (nahb.org) Home Innovation Research Labs, which administers NGBS Green certification, says more than 750,000 homes and apartments have already been certified under the program. That gives the 2025 edition an installed base as builders and remodelers decide when to shift projects from the 2020 rules to the new book. (nahb.org) (ngbs.com) NAHB is offering the ICC 700-2025 text as a free PDF, with print copies to follow. The release turns a yearslong standards update into a live rulebook for builders, developers and remodelers working on the next round of green-certified housing. (nahb.org)