New BC Building Code (BCBC) 2024 provisions for adaptable dwellings and seismic design come into effect Monday, March 10, 2025, with adaptable-dwelling requirements being gradually implemented.

After consulting the home-building community and recognizing current economic uncertainty, such as the recent U.S. tariff threat, the adaptable-dwelling requirements will be introduced in a phased approach, starting at 20% of units in large residential buildings, as opposed to the previously proposed 100%. This will help reduce potential costs associated with these changes, allowing for a balanced approach to phasing in adaptability requirements, while meeting the need for suitable, affordable housing. It will also allow the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs to continue collaborating with key partners to help enable more adaptable housing in the province.

Projects where design work began before March 8, 2024, may continue to follow the 2018 BC Building Code, provided they apply for a building permit before March 8, 2027. Projects for which a building permit will be applied for on or after March 10, 2025, must comply with the BCBC 2024, including the seismic-design and adaptable-dwelling provisions. 

The updated provisions for adaptable dwellings include features that can be adjusted to meet occupants’ changing needs due to illness, injury or aging. In large residential buildings and ground-floor suites of smaller apartments, one in every five units is required to have accessible doorways and travel paths, manoeuvring space in bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchens, controls at accessible heights and reinforced bathroom walls for future installation of grab bars.

In line with the latest scientific data, BCBC 2024 seismic provisions have been developed with the primary goal of preventing structural collapse during earthquakes. These updates focus on improving the resilience of buildings, particularly in high-risk areas such as the Capital Regional District (CRD) and parts of the Lower Mainland. The Province will be exploring how mass timber can help provide cost-effective design solutions to meet the seismic requirements and will focus on specific solutions for the CRD. 

The Province remains committed to working closely with the building sector, accessibility leaders, experts and local governments to support the delivery of safer, more adaptable buildings and homes. Further consultations with the accessibility community and industry will take place in 2026 as the ministry reviews the model 2025 National Code requirements.  

Quick Facts:

• The BC Building Code is a provincial regulation that governs how new construction, building alterations, repairs and demolitions are carried out.
• The BC Building Code applies throughout B.C., except on some federal lands and in Vancouver, which has its own building bylaw.
• BC Building Code 2024 came into effect on March 8, 2024.
• At that time, the new seismic-design and adaptable-dwelling provisions were moved to March 10, 2025, to allow more transition time for local governments, design professionals and home builders to implement the new requirements.

Learn More:

To learn more about the new BC Codes, visit:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/construction-industry/building-codes-standards/bc-codes

To learn more about the Province’s work to digitize the BC Building Code, visit:
https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2023HOUS0019-000496