Building codes always get longer

Every three years, the committees that write America’s model building codes sit down and rewrite them. Every three years, the codes get longer. I have yet to find the cycle in which they took out more than they put in. Regulation works like a ratchet. Each click tightens. Nothing ever gets loosened up. Every individual requirement sounds reasonable on its own, e.g., thicker insulation, another specialty breaker, duct work pressure-tested by a contractor, a mechanical fresh-air system for houses the previous code made airtight. No one wants to vote against safety, and no one shows up at the hearing on behalf of the young couple who will be priced out of the house. The National Association of Home Builders, in June, calculated that government regulation now adds $131,734 to the price of the average new home, more than a quarter of what the buyer pays. Code changes made over just the past decade account for $40,288 of that. Five years ago, the figure was $24,144.

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