In late December 2025, the National Research Council of Canada released the 2025 editions of the National Model Codes, including the National Building Code, National Fire Code, National Plumbing Code and National Energy Code for Buildings.
Major themes in this cycle include resilience to future climate conditions, accessibility, mass timber construction, radon and continued efforts to harmonize requirements across the country.
Release is not adoption
The national codes are model codes. They don’t apply on a project until a province or territory adopts them, sometimes with its own amendments and on its own timeline. Ontario’s building code regulation issued in October 2025, for example, is still based on the 2020 national code.
That means, for a while, projects in different provinces will be designed to different editions. The codes in force are usually fixed by the date of the building permit application, not the construction start date.
What it means for projects
For projects in design now, the question to ask is simple: which edition applies in this jurisdiction, and is an update expected before permit? For owners with long-term capital plans, such as campuses and municipalities, the 2025 codes are a useful signal of where requirements are heading even before they’re adopted locally.
