For a permit applied for now, check that the code analysis cites the 2022 Connecticut State Building Code, which is based on the 2021 I-Codes, the 2020 NEC, and ICC A117.1-2017 and applies to permit applications filed from October 1, 2022, and the 2022 Connecticut State Fire Safety Code, which adopts the 2021 IFC for new construction. DAS says the 2026 codes based on the 2024 I-Codes are delayed pending legislative approval, so they should not be cited yet. AI can flag conflicts; the design professional, the building official, and the fire marshal decide compliance.
What does the Connecticut State Building Code cover?
DAS’s State Building Code page says the code applies to all newly constructed buildings and to those undergoing alterations, additions, or changes of use, and that the Office of the State Building Inspector (OSBI) sets its building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, accessibility, and energy requirements with the Codes and Standards Committee. The 2022 Connecticut State Building Code adopts, under section 29-252 of the General Statutes, the 2021 IBC, ICC A117.1-2017, the 2021 IEBC, IPC, IMC, IECC, ISPSC, and IRC, and the 2020 NEC, each with Connecticut amendments. Its IBC amendments say the IFGC, the International Private Sewage Disposal Code, and the IPMC are not adopted: fuel gas references point to NFPA 54, NFPA 58, and NFPA 2 as adopted in the state fire codes, and private sewage disposal to the Public Health Code. IFC references point to the State Fire Safety Code, and Appendices C, H, I, and P are incorporated. Detached one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses within the scope the amendment describes follow the IRC portion.
DAS says the 2022 code applies to projects with permit applications filed from October 1, 2022, and the code document states that it applies to work for which a permit application was made on or after its adoption. DAS’s code adoption page says the 2026 Connecticut State Building, Fire Safety, and Fire Prevention Codes were expected to take effect July 1, 2026, but the effective date has been delayed while they await approval by the General Assembly’s Legislative Regulation Review Committee. The page lists the model codes the 2026 codes are anticipated to adopt: the 2024 IBC, IEBC, IECC, IMC, IPC, IRC, ISPSC, and IFC, the 2023 NEC, ICC A117.1-2017, NFPA 101-2021, and NFPA 1-2024. All checked October 28, 2026. Do not cite those editions as Connecticut’s code until DAS announces an effective date.
When the new codes take effect, DAS says they apply to projects whose permit is applied for after the effective date, the primary building permit application date governs the associated trade permits for the same scope, and for about three months an owner may ask OSBI and the State Fire Marshal, in separate modification requests, to continue under the previous codes.
Fire safety is a separate state code. The Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) publishes the 2022 Connecticut State Fire Safety Code and Fire Prevention Code with errata. The 2022 Fire Safety Code adopts the 2021 IFC as Part III for new construction, renovation, or change of use, and NFPA 101-2021 as Part IV for existing buildings permitted before January 1, 2006. It applies to one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses only for smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. The local fire marshal makes the initial compliance determination, reviews plans and specifications for new structures, additions, and alterations, and must certify in writing to the building official that the documents substantially comply before a building permit is issued. The State Fire Marshal decides on state-owned property. The building code also adds statutory sealing requirements for larger buildings in listed occupancies under section 29-276c, and an independent structural engineering review for buildings above the threshold limits of section 29-276b. Permit routing is on the Connecticut page, and the model codes have their own guides: IBC, IRC, IFC, IECC, and NFPA 70.
Gather the code analysis, the permit date, and each discipline’s Connecticut references
Collect the cover sheet and code analysis with the Connecticut codes and editions cited, the architectural plans, sections, life safety plans, and wall and door schedules, the accessibility plans and details, the structural general notes with design criteria and any threshold building statement, the mechanical, plumbing, fuel gas, and electrical drawings, the fire protection drawings, the energy compliance documentation, and the specifications.
Add the planned or actual primary building permit application date, any code modification the team has requested or received, the local fire marshal’s plan review status, and, for existing buildings, whether the work follows the IEBC portion of the code and which part of the Fire Safety Code applies.
Trace the Connecticut codes through the set
| Review question | Sources to compare | Decision to record |
|---|---|---|
| Code edition and permit date | Cover sheet, code analysis, general notes for every discipline, permit application date | Confirm the 2022 Connecticut State Building Code is cited for the filing date, not an unamended 2021 or a 2024 I-Code, and record any modification request. |
| Fire Safety Code | Life safety plans, fire protection notes, code analysis | Check that fire and life safety cite the 2022 Connecticut State Fire Safety Code and its correct part, not the IFC or NFPA 1 on their own. |
| Fuel gas references | Fuel gas piping notes, mechanical specifications, LP-gas details | Find references to the IFGC, which Connecticut does not adopt, and ask for the NFPA 54, NFPA 58, or NFPA 2 basis the state fire codes adopt. |
| Accessibility | Accessibility plans and details, code analysis | Confirm accessible elements cite the IBC as Connecticut amended it and ICC A117.1-2017 with Connecticut amendments. |
| Electrical and energy | Electrical general notes, energy documentation, envelope and lighting schedules | Check that electrical notes cite the 2020 NEC and energy documents the 2021 IECC as Connecticut amended them. |
| Sealing and threshold review | Cover sheet, structural notes, occupancy and size data | Record whether the building falls under the section 29-276c sealing requirements or the section 29-276b threshold limits that call for independent structural review. |
Life safety continues in the NFPA 101 guide and the IBC Chapter 9 guide, fuel gas in the NFPA 54 and NFPA 58 guides, accessible elements in the ICC A117.1 guide, existing buildings in the IEBC guide, and structural criteria in the structural drawing checklist. A neighboring statewide code is in the New Jersey UCC guide.
Example: a set that cites the delayed 2026 codes
Hypothetical example. A four-story mixed-use building with ground-floor retail and apartments above is designed in New Haven for a permit application in November 2026. The code analysis cites the 2024 IBC and the 2024 IECC, the gas piping notes cite the IFGC, the fire protection notes cite NFPA 1-2024, the electrical notes cite the 2023 NEC, and the cover sheet does not mention the local fire marshal’s review.
The code analysis cites the 2024 IBC and IECC, while DAS says the 2026 Connecticut codes based on them are delayed and the 2022 Connecticut State Building Code, based on the 2021 I-Codes and the 2020 NEC, applies to current applications. The gas piping notes cite the IFGC, which Connecticut does not adopt, and the fire protection notes cite NFPA 1 instead of the 2022 Connecticut State Fire Safety Code. Confirm the code basis for the application date and coordinate the code analysis, gas, fire protection, electrical, and energy references.
The architect and engineers confirm the code basis with the building official and the local fire marshal and update each discipline’s references. The finding is a citation conflict; the building official and the fire marshal decide compliance.
Review a Connecticut set with Groundbook
Upload the current drawings and specifications to Groundbook, and state the edition, amendments, and review scope in your instructions. DAS publishes the 2022 Connecticut State Building Code and the 2022 Fire Safety and Fire Prevention Codes, with errata, as free PDFs of Connecticut amendments. Upload them as code files, with the 2021 model codes, the 2020 NEC, ICC A117.1-2017, and NFPA 54 and 58 from copies you are licensed to use where the license permits uploading them. See how Groundbook works with local and licensed codes.
Compare the cover sheet, code analysis, and every discipline’s general notes with the architectural, life safety, accessibility, structural, mechanical, plumbing, fuel gas, electrical, fire protection, and energy documents. Flag editions other than the 2022 Connecticut State Building Code for the permit application date, fire and life safety cited to the IFC or NFPA 1 instead of the 2022 Connecticut State Fire Safety Code, IFGC references, accessibility not cited to the Connecticut-amended code and ICC A117.1-2017, electrical or energy editions that do not match, and a missing sealing or threshold review statement. Use the supplied Connecticut codes and standards and cite both sources.
Groundbook links each potential finding to the note or sheet and to the Connecticut code section or standard you uploaded. It compares what the documents state; it does not decide which edition, part, or review applies.
Document review does not certify compliance, approve a permit, or replace the design professional, the building official, the fire marshal, OSBI, or OSFM.