Building Energy Code

Much of the information presented in this summary is drawn from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Building Energy Codes Program and the Building Codes Assistance Project (BCAP). For more detailed information about building energy codes, visit the DOE and BCAP websites.

The Oregon Energy Code amendments were most recently updated for both residential and non-residential construction in 2017 and 2019, respectively. 

The Oregon Residential Specialty Code (ORSC), Chapter 11, contains energy efficiency requirements for one- and two-family dwelling construction. The Oregon Structural Specialty Code (OSSC), Chapter 13, contains energy conservation requirements for buildings other than one- and two-family dwellings.

In 2006, Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski mandated a 15% increase in energy performance by new residential construction by 2015. In response to this, the Oregon Building Codes Division (BCD) and Dept. of Energy cooperatively submitted an energy code change proposal. This proposal was enacted in March 2008 and became effective July 1, 2008. The residential code was updated in 2011, then updated again, effective October 1, 2017.

The state energy code provisions are mandatory for all heated and/or cooled residential and commercial construction, including state-owned and -operated buildings that are constructed, altered, and repaired within the state. The energy conservation requirements are a mandatory statewide minimum that cannot be modified by local government without state approval.