The 2020 National Model Codes Are Here — What Changed at a Glance

The National Research Council has published the 2020 editions of Canada's model codes, the first full update since 2015. As with every cycle, the new editions don't take effect anywhere automatically — each province and territory reviews, amends, and adopts on a schedule of its own, so it can be a year or more before a given jurisdiction is actually working from the 2020 base.

Early read on the changes: expanded accessibility provisions, updated energy-efficiency requirements, and clearer rules for mass timber construction are among the headline items carried through this cycle. We'll cover several of these individually as provinces move to adopt them — worth bookmarking if you want to track when your own jurisdiction catches up.