Maryland has approved the International Green Construction Code (IGCC). Enactment of Maryland H.B. 972 earlier this month enables the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development to adopt the IGCC and could facilitate IGCC adoption by local governments.
“I definitely do” believe that other states will adopt the IGCC in some form, Stuart Kaplow, chairperson of U.S. Green Building Council Maryland, told Green Building Insider. He reported that code officials from at least five other states have contacted him about Maryland’s legislation. He declined to reveal the identities of those states.
Rhode Island also adopted the code, but its law only applies to public buildings (GBI, Oct. 1, 2010, “Rules and Regulations Under Rhode Island’s Landmark Green Buildings Act to Take Effect Soon”).
The International Code Council (ICC) developed the IGCC in conjunction with the American Institute of Architects; ASTM International; the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers; the U.S. Green Building Council; and the Illuminating Engineering Society.
“The adoption of green building codes fundamentally advances and transforms the way buildings are designed, built, and operated, enabling an environmentally and socially responsible, healthy, and prosperous environment that improves the quality of life,” according to ICC.
Added Kaplow: “This is the most significant environmental legislation adopted in Maryland this year.”
