HUD and USDA’s Six-Month Delay on Enforcing 2021 IECC Rule A Win for Housing
This post has been updated.
In a win for NAHB and the housing industry, the Trump administration has announced a six-month delay in the implementation of the Biden administration’s mandatory energy code, an important step forward to help ease the nation’s housing affordability crisis.
Specifically, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Department of Agriculture (USDA) will wait an additional six months before enforcing the compliance dates for adopting the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and ASHRAE 90.1-2019 as the minimum energy-efficiency standards for certain single-family and multifamily housing programs.
“This six-month pause by HUD and USDA is an important step forward to help ease the nation’s housing affordability crisis,” said NAHB Chairman Buddy Hughes. “Compliance with this rule would make it much harder for home builders and multifamily developers to build housing that is available and affordable for American families.
In fact, the Home Innovation Research Labs has found that compliance with the 2021 IECC can add more than $20,000 to the price of a new home, but in practice, home builders have estimated increased costs of up to $31,000.
The updated compliance dates are as follows:
Program | Initiation Event | Compliance Date |
HOME and HTF (If HOME/HTF funding is layered with other HUD funds, the later program compliance date applies) |
Participating Jurisdiction (PJ) or HTF Grantee Funding Commitment | Nov. 28, 2024 |
Federal Housing Administration-Insured (FHA-Insured) Multifamily | Pre-application Submitted to HUD | Nov. 28, 2025 |
FHA-Insured Single Family | Building Permit Application | May 28, 2026 |
Public Housing Capital Fund | HUD approvals of development proposals for new Capital Fund or mixed financed projects | Nov. 28, 2025 |
Project Based Vouchers | To be determined in further guidance | April 1, 2026 |
Competitive Grants (Choice Neighborhoods, Section 202, Section 811) | Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Publication | Next published NOFO after six months from the date of publication of this notice |
All programs, persistent poverty rural areas | Based on program-specific event, above | May 28, 2026 |
Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) | N/A | Already effective by Federal Register Notice July 27, 2023 |
NAHB commends the Trump administration for recognizing the importance of bringing down the cost of housing and will continue to pursue all avenues on the congressional, regulatory and legal fronts to overturn this harmful energy code rule.
Latest from NAHBNow
Aug 29, 2025
NAHB's Monthly Update Features Canadian Lumber Duties Talking PointsThe update provides the latest messaging framework to help members articulate housing priorities and latest news related to the Canadian lumber imports and builder sentiment.
Aug 28, 2025
Podcast: Congressional Priorities and the Trump Economy Heading into FallOn the latest episode of NAHB podcast Housing Developments, NAHB CEO Jim Tobin and COO Paul Lopez discuss how the rest of the year looks as Congress gets ready to return to Washington next week.
Latest Economic News
Aug 29, 2025
Multifamily Absorption Rises in the Second QuarterThe percentage of new apartment units that were absorbed within three months after completion rose in the second quarter, according to the Census Bureau’s latest release of the Survey of Market Absorption of New Multifamily Units (SOMA).
Aug 28, 2025
Mortgage Rates Move Lower, Hitting 10-Month LowAverage mortgage rates in August continued their steady decline and are now at their lowest rate since last November.
Aug 27, 2025
Wood-Framed Home Share Increased in 2024Wood framing continues to dominate the U.S. single-family home construction market, according to NAHB analysis of 2024 Census Bureau data.