Dallas County staff asks supervisors to begin update of Chapter 47 to 2024 ICC codes

David N. Hockett, Dallas County’s Director of Planning & Development, asked the Board on Sept. 8 to authorize staff to begin drafting a comprehensive update to Chapter 47 of the county code to adopt the 2024 International Code Council code cycle with locally targeted amendments.

"Staff is requesting direction (motion) from the Board of Supervisors to initiate a comprehensive update of the Dallas County Building Code (Chapter 47)," Hockett wrote in a packet memo included with the meeting materials. He told the Board that operating under the 2006 cycle has created "regulatory ambiguity" and inconsistencies with state trade codes that now complicate reviews and enforcement.

Hockett’s memo notes the state currently enforces newer trade cycles — for example the 2023 National Electrical Code and the 2024 Uniform Plumbing and Mechanical Codes — and recommends Dallas County formally adopt the 2024 IBC/IRC/IEBC/IFC cycles while preserving narrowly tailored local amendments where appropriate. The staff proposal lays out a phased process: staff research, stakeholder outreach with builders and contractors, periodic Board touchpoints, and drafting a proposed ordinance for public hearing.

The packet includes a peer-jurisdiction comparison showing most nearby counties and metro municipalities have moved to 2021 or 2024 cycles; staff emphasized alignment would reduce permitting friction for contractors who work across jurisdictions. The memo also lists practical exclusions and state-mandated trade standards staff intends to follow (for example, deferring to NFPA 54 and UPC for fuel gas where appropriate).

The Board did not adopt an ordinance at the Sept. 8 meeting; staff requested direction to begin drafting and outreach. If the Board gives that direction, the next steps are stakeholder engagement, public review and a formal ordinance hearing and vote.