New BC Building Code (BCBC) 2024 provisions for adaptable dwellings and seismic design come into effect March 10, 2025, with adaptable dwelling requirements being gradually implemented.
After consulting the home-building community and recognizing current economic uncertainty, such as the recent U.S. tariff threat, the adaptable dwelling requirements will be introduced in a phased approach, starting at 20 per cent of units in large residential buildings, as opposed to the previously proposed 100 per cent.
This change will help reduce potential costs associated with these changes, allowing for a balanced approach to phasing in adaptability requirements, while meeting the need for suitable, affordable housing. It will also allow the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs to continue collaborating with key partners to help enable more adaptable housing in the province.
Projects where design work began before March 8, 2024, may continue to follow the 2018 BC Building Code, provided they apply for a building permit before March 8, 2027. Projects for which a building permit will be applied for on or after March 10, 2025, must comply with the BCBC 2024, including the seismic-design and adaptable-dwelling provisions.
The updated provisions for adaptable dwellings include features that can be adjusted to meet occupants’ changing needs due to illness, injury or aging. In large residential buildings and ground-floor suites of smaller apartments, one in every five units is required to have accessible doorways and travel paths, manoeuvring space in bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchens, controls at accessible heights and reinforced bathroom walls for future installation of grab bars.
In line with the latest scientific data, BCBC 2024 seismic provisions have been developed with the primary goal of preventing structural collapse during earthquakes. These updates focus on improving the resilience of buildings, particularly in high-risk areas such as the Capital Regional District (CRD) and parts of the Lower Mainland. The province will be exploring how mass timber can help provide cost-effective design solutions to meet the seismic requirements and will focus on specific solutions for the CRD.
