June 24, 2026

The Construction Standards and Digital Solutions (CSDS) branch of the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs shared a summary of the National Building Code 2025 updates with the Building Policy Advisory Committee (BPAC), of which UDI is a member, following their recent meeting. 

Key topics include radon, adaptability and visitability, seismic design, alterations to existing buildings, energy efficiency and GHG emissions, future climatic data, referenced standards, farm buildings, and small home-type care occupancies. 

Further detail is available in the summary document prepared by CSDS staff.

March 25, 2026

On December 12, 2025, the National Research Council of Canada released the 2025 edition of the National Building Code of Canada 2025 (NBC 2025), introducing a number of significant updates that will shape building design and construction practices as provinces move toward adoption. 

Key updates in NBC 2025 are framed around a shift toward performance-based and climate-aligned standards: 

Low to moderate impact: Enhanced flexibility in compliance pathways – Expands the tiered energy framework with additional prescriptive trade-off options and introduces an Energy Use Intensity (EUI) path, providing more flexibility in how projects can meet energy targets; 

Moderate impact: Existing building requirements – Introduces new provisions for alterations and retrofits, creating a more consistent approach to energy upgrades in existing buildings; 

Moderate to high impact: Climate resilience and forward-looking design data – Incorporates projected climate data (e.g., temperature, precipitation, wind) to better reflect future conditions in building design; 

High impact: Integration of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions – For the first time, the Code includes GHG emissions as a formal objective, with performance tiers that provinces may adopt to reduce operational emissions; 

Targeted updates: Accessibility, mass timber, and safety measures – Expands accessibility objectives, increases allowances for mass timber construction, and introduces requirements such as radon rough-ins and updated structural provisions. 

While NBC 2025 is a model code, its impact will depend on how and when provinces adopt and adapt these provisions. The changes signal a continued shift toward higher performance buildings, with implications for project design, costs, and approvals.  

To view the National Building Code of Canada 2025, click here.