Philadelphia, PA Building Safety: Green Building Code (2026)

§ EC-1.1 adopts the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code, as published by the International Code Council, as the Energy Conservation Code of the City of Philadelphia, with local amendments prefixed "EC-" under § EC-1.2. § EC-C101.2 limits the Commercial Provisions to commercial buildings, their sites and associated systems, while § EC-C101.3 states the intent to regulate design and construction for effective energy use over a building's useful life without abridging safety, health or environmental requirements elsewhere in the code. § EC-C101.4 resolves conflicts by applying the most restrictive requirement, and where a building mixes residential and commercial occupancies, § EC-C101.4.1 requires each occupancy to separately meet its own IECC track. § EC-C101.5 splits compliance cleanly: commercial buildings follow the IECC Commercial provisions, residential buildings follow IECC Residential Provisions, except that detached one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses of three stories or less with separate egress, plus their accessory structures, comply with the Philadelphia Residential Code (Subcode R) instead.

The same exception is repeated for the residential track at § EC-R101.2. § EC-C101.5.1 lets the code official approve specific computer software, worksheets or compliance manuals that meet the code's intent, and § EC-C101.6 cross-references Subcode A (the Administrative Code) for the permitting and inspection mechanics that actually enforce these standards. Occupancy is withheld at the back end too: § EC-C105.2.6 requires a final inspection and approval before a building covered by the Commercial Provisions may be occupied.