AUSTIN, Texas — In a move to combat climate change and the rising heat in Texas, the city of Austin will now require all residential properties — new and existing — to have working air conditioning.
The Austin City Council approved this change along with five others when it voted to adopt the 2024 Technical Building Codes, along with a comprehensive set of local amendments tailored to support Austin's unique environmental and housing goals. The updated requirements will take effect July 10, 2025.
The newly adopted codes update 10 sets of technical standards that regulate building design, construction, and maintenance throughout the city. These changes align with national best practices while also incorporating local priorities around climate resilience, wildfire risk, housing diversity, and energy efficiency.
Air conditioning standards was the first key change in the updated codes.
“To enhance protections during extreme heat events, the updated code requires that all buildings — both new and existing — provide and maintain air conditioning systems that can keep indoor temperatures no higher than 85° F and at least 15° F cooler than outside. These new standards respond to a Council resolution passed in August 2023, focused on improving livability and public health in high-heat conditions,” according to a news release.
The other five building code updates include allowing single-stairway designs in multifamily residential buildings up to five stories; expanding the designated Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) and Proximity Zone C which will trigger more stringent construction requirements to better address wildfire risk; Hempcrete, a plant-based construction material, is now approved in residential construction; new energy efficiency standards for both residential and commercial buildings plus EV charging infrastructure requirements in new construction; and expanding pest control standards to include bedbugs and scorpions in multi-unit buildings as well as enhanced emergency lighting requirements for high-rise buildings to improve safety during power outages or emergencies.
For more details on the adopted 2024 Building Codes and local amendments, visit the Building Technical Codes webpage.