For commercial work in Michigan, check that the code analysis cites the 2021 Michigan Building Code, Part 4 of the Construction Code rules (R 408.30401), which LARA’s Bureau of Construction Codes lists as effective April 9, 2025, with the 2021 Rehabilitation Code, the 2021 Michigan Mechanical and Plumbing Codes, the 2021 Michigan Commercial Energy Code based on the 2021 IECC and ASHRAE 90.1-2019, and the 2023 NEC with Part 8 amendments. Houses follow the 2015 Michigan Residential Code. AI can flag conflicts; the design professional and the enforcing agency decide compliance.
What does the Michigan Building Code cover?
Michigan’s construction codes are adopted under the Stille-DeRossett-Hale Single State Construction Code Act, 1972 PA 230, and administered by the Bureau of Construction Codes (BCC) in the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA). The rules are in the Michigan Administrative Code as separate parts. Rule R 408.30401 adopts the 2021 IBC, including Appendices F, G, and H, except listed sections, with the 2021 IECC, IEBC, IMC, IPC, and IPSDC and NFPA 70-2023 as listed in Chapter 35, and says references to the IBC, IRC, IECC, NEC, IEBC, IMC, and IPC mean the Michigan Building, Residential, Energy, Electrical, Rehabilitation, Mechanical, and Plumbing Codes. The BCC’s code books page notes that residential requirements are in the Michigan Residential Code. Existing buildings follow the Michigan Rehabilitation Code, which adopts the 2021 IEBC.
The code books page lists these current codes: the 2021 Michigan Building Code and 2021 Michigan Rehabilitation Code, effective April 9, 2025; the 2015 Michigan Residential Code, effective February 8, 2016; the 2021 Michigan Mechanical and Plumbing Codes, effective March 12, 2024; the 2021 Michigan Commercial Energy Code, effective April 22, 2025; and the 2023 NEC, effective March 12, 2024. The administrative code matches: the Part 4 rule history shows an April 9, 2025 effective date, Part 10a (R 408.31087) adopts the 2021 IECC commercial provisions and ASHRAE 90.1-2019, Part 8 (R 408.30801) adopts the 2023 NEC with listed exceptions, and Part 5 (R 408.30500) adopts the 2015 IRC. Residential energy stays with the 2015 IECC residential provisions in Part 10 (R 408.31059). All checked October 28, 2026.
The BCC’s currently open rules page explains why houses are still on 2015: on July 7, 2025, the Michigan Court of Claims entered a stipulated order in Home Builders Association et al. v. LARA et al. that stops LARA from implementing rule sets adopting the 2021 IRC and the 2021 IECC residential provisions, which were to take effect August 29, 2025, and the 2015 versions remain in effect while it stands. The same page shows proposed rules to adopt the 2024 IPC and 2024 IMC, published in the July 15, 2026 Michigan Register with hearings on August 5, 2026, and a draft Part 4 that would move the building code to the 2024 IBC. None of these had taken effect when checked. Do not cite a 2021 residential or 2024 code as Michigan’s code until the BCC lists it as current.
Accessibility follows R 408.30427, which requires buildings and facilities to be accessible under 1966 PA 1 (MCL 125.1351 to 125.1356), the code, and ICC/ANSI A117.1 except sections 611 and 707. Requests for barrier free design exceptions go to the Barrier Free Design Board under R 408.30414. The BCC’s plan review page says that where the state has code enforcement authority, the bureau reviews building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, boiler, and elevator plans and all barrier free design exception requests; where a local enforcing agency administers the code, confirm that it receives the plans. Commercial energy under Part 10a adopts Appendix CB of the IECC as mandatory and Appendix CC as permissive guidance an enforcing agency may not require. State permit routing is on the Michigan page, and the model codes have their own guides: IBC, IRC, IEBC, ASHRAE 90.1, and NFPA 70.
Gather the code analysis and each discipline’s Michigan Part references
Collect the cover sheet and code analysis with the Michigan codes and editions cited, the architectural plans, sections, life safety plans, and door schedules, the barrier free plans and details, the structural general notes, the mechanical, plumbing, and electrical drawings, the energy compliance documentation (a commercial path under Part 10a, or the residential energy path for houses), the site plan, and the specifications.
Add the enforcing agency for each discipline, whether the state or a local agency, the permit application dates, any barrier free design exception request or decision, and, for existing buildings, the scope of work and the compliance method chosen under the Rehabilitation Code.
Trace the Michigan Parts through the set
| Review question | Sources to compare | Decision to record |
|---|---|---|
| Building code edition | Cover sheet, code analysis, general notes for every discipline | Confirm the 2021 Michigan Building Code is cited, not an unamended 2021 IBC or the 2024 IBC still in rulemaking. |
| Residential code and energy | Code analysis, dwelling sections, energy forms, building type | Check that dwellings within the residential code cite the 2015 Michigan Residential Code and 2015 residential energy provisions, not the 2021 rule sets the court order paused. |
| Barrier free design | Accessibility plans and details, code analysis, exception requests | Confirm accessible elements cite 1966 PA 1, the MBC, and ICC A117.1 as R 408.30427 adopts it, and record any Barrier Free Design Board exception. |
| Commercial energy path | Energy forms, envelope details, mechanical and lighting schedules | Match the documents to the 2021 IECC commercial provisions or ASHRAE 90.1-2019 under Part 10a, including the Appendix CB items Michigan makes mandatory. |
| Electrical code year | Electrical general notes, specifications, permit application date | Confirm commercial electrical notes cite the 2023 NEC with Part 8 amendments, and ask the enforcing agency how residential electrical work is cited. |
| Trade codes and pending updates | Mechanical and plumbing notes, specifications, application dates | Check that mechanical and plumbing notes cite the 2021 Michigan codes, and ask the enforcing agency which edition applies if the 2024 rules take effect before the permit. |
Accessible details continue in the ICC A117.1 guide and the accessibility checklist, the energy envelope in the IECC guide, mechanical and plumbing sheets in the IMC and IPC guides, and electrical sheets in the electrical drawing checklist. Minnesota’s statewide code is in the Minnesota State Building Code guide.
Example: a mixed project that cites codes still in rulemaking
Hypothetical example. A development near Grand Rapids pairs a four-story mixed-use building with a row of townhouses, drawn in fall 2026. The mixed-use code analysis cites the 2024 IBC and IMC, the barrier free sheets cite only the ADA Standards, the townhouse sheets cite the 2021 IRC and 2021 IECC residential provisions, and the electrical notes cite the 2020 NEC.
The code analysis cites the 2024 IBC and IMC, while the BCC lists the 2021 Michigan Building and Mechanical Codes as current and the 2024 rules as proposed. The townhouse sheets cite the 2021 IRC and IECC, which the July 7, 2025 court order keeps from taking effect, the barrier free sheets do not cite 1966 PA 1 or ICC A117.1 under R 408.30427, and the electrical notes cite the 2020 NEC instead of the 2023 NEC with Part 8 amendments. Confirm the code basis for each discipline with the enforcing agency and coordinate the code analysis, barrier free sheets, townhouse sheets, and electrical notes.
The architect and engineers confirm the code basis with the enforcing agency, revise the citations for each building type, and keep the ADA review as a separate federal check. The finding is a citation conflict; the building official decides compliance.
Review a Michigan set with Groundbook
Upload the current drawings and specifications to Groundbook, and state the edition, amendments, and review scope in your instructions. The Construction Code Parts are free as PDFs in the Michigan Administrative Code, and the BCC points to ICC’s free online view of the Michigan codes. Upload the Parts you need as code files, with the model codes and standards they adopt from copies you are licensed to use, where the license permits uploading them, and any local amendments. 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, barrier free, structural, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, and energy documents. Flag citations to unamended or newer I-Codes instead of the 2021 Michigan Building, Rehabilitation, Mechanical, Plumbing, and Commercial Energy Codes, dwellings cited to the 2021 IRC or IECC instead of the 2015 Michigan Residential Code, barrier free notes that do not cite 1966 PA 1 and ICC A117.1 under R 408.30427, an NEC edition other than the 2023 NEC with Part 8 amendments, and a missing enforcing agency. Use the supplied Michigan rules and referenced standards and cite both sources.
Groundbook links each potential finding to the note or sheet and to the Michigan rule or standard you uploaded. It compares what the documents state; it does not decide which Part or edition governs.
Document review does not certify compliance, approve a permit, or replace the design professional, the enforcing agency, the Barrier Free Design Board, or the Bureau of Construction Codes.