--- title: HR 1792. Georgia Department of Community Affairs; refrain from adopting the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code for residential construction; urge collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr1792 cite_as: HR 1792, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1792 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1792.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1792/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74270 date: 2026-03-25 status: introduced corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1791.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1793.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 189 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1792.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 1792 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-03-19 last_action: House Committee Favorably Reported sponsors: - Lehman Franklin - Houston Gaines - Will Wade - Matthew Gambill - Rob Leverett - Bruce Williamson text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1792/2025 upstream_id: 2136360 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - energy code - housing affordability - building codes - construction costs - Department of Community Affairs --- # HR 1792. Georgia Department of Community Affairs; refrain from adopting the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code for residential construction; urge ## Text House Resolution 1792 By: Representatives Franklin of the 160th, Gaines of the 120th, Wade of the 9th, Gambill of the 15th, Leverett of the 123rd, and others A RESOLUTION Urging the Georgia Department of Community Affairs to refrain from adopting the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code for residential construction; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, access to safe, decent, and affordable housing is essential to the economic stability and quality of life of citizens of this state; and WHEREAS, this state is currently experiencing significant housing affordability challenges, with rising construction costs contributing to increased home prices and reduced homeownership opportunities; and WHEREAS, the Georgia Department of Community Affairs is considering whether to adopt the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code, which would impose new mandates affecting residential construction across the state; and WHEREAS, Georgia's current energy code, the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code with Georgia amendments, reflects a balance between energy efficiency and affordability appropriate for Georgia's climate; and WHEREAS, Georgia-specific cost modeling indicates that the adoption of the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code would increase construction costs by thousands of dollars per home; and WHEREAS, housing affordability concerns are compounded by the fact that every $1,000.00 increase in home prices will price out more than 5,000 Georgia households from the housing market; and WHEREAS, Georgia's existing energy code aligns with, or exceeds, many such codes within the region and allows for energy conscious construction without imposing excessive costs; and WHEREAS, it is in the best interest of the citizens of this state to avoid unnecessary regulatory mandates that increase housing costs during a time of significant affordability challenges. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA that members of this body urge the Georgia Department of Community Affairs to refrain from adopting the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code for residential construction. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of this body encourage the Georgia Department of Community Affairs to continue the use of the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code with Georgia amendments as the state-wide energy code in order to maintain an appropriate balance between energy efficiency and housing affordability. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the commissioner of community affairs and to the chairperson and vice chairperson of the State Codes Advisory Committee. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House resolution urges the Department of Community Affairs not to adopt the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code for home building, and to keep using the 2015 version with Georgia's amendments instead. ### Plain-language summary The Georgia Department of Community Affairs is deciding whether to adopt the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code, a model set of building rules aimed at making new homes more energy efficient. This resolution does not change any law itself; it is a formal statement from House members expressing their position on that decision. The resolution asks the department to refrain from adopting the 2024 code, citing concerns that it would raise construction costs by thousands of dollars per home and that each $1,000 increase in home prices could price more than 5,000 Georgia households out of the housing market. It instead encourages the department to keep using the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code with Georgia's amendments. The Clerk of the House is directed to send copies to the commissioner of community affairs and to the leaders of the State Codes Advisory Committee. ### What it does - Urges the Georgia Department of Community Affairs to refrain from adopting the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code for residential construction. - Encourages the department to keep using the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code with Georgia amendments as the statewide energy code. - Directs the Clerk of the House to send copies of the resolution to the commissioner of community affairs and to the chairperson and vice chairperson of the State Codes Advisory Committee. - Does not itself change any Georgia statute or building code; it states the House's position for the department to consider. ### Who it affects The Georgia Department of Community Affairs and the State Codes Advisory Committee, which decide which energy code applies statewide, along with home builders, developers, and prospective homebuyers who would face different construction costs and energy standards depending on which code is in effect. ### Why it matters Which energy code Georgia adopts affects how much new homes cost to build and how energy efficient they are. This resolution signals House opposition to a stricter, newer code, which could influence the department's decision and, in turn, home construction costs and home prices statewide. ### Key provisions - First resolving clause urges the Department of Community Affairs to refrain from adopting the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code for residential construction. - Second resolving clause encourages continued use of the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code with Georgia amendments to balance energy efficiency and affordability. - Final clause directs the Clerk of the House to distribute copies of the resolution to the commissioner of community affairs and to the State Codes Advisory Committee's chairperson and vice chairperson. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2026-03-19) - Last action: House Committee Favorably Reported (2026-03-25) - Sponsors: Lehman Franklin, Houston Gaines, Will Wade, Matthew Gambill, Rob Leverett, Bruce Williamson - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74270 > The history, votes, and amendments (189 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1792.md?full=1