Rep. Jared Patterson said on Apr. 15 that several North Texas cities have adopted new building code requirements aligned with the Green New Deal without public discussion, following the International Code Council’s (ICC) International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). He pointed out that the City of Celina excluded these new requirements before adopting the IECC.
Patterson said this issue is important because it could impose costly regulations on local businesses and affect economic growth in Texas. He raised concerns about how such policies are being implemented at the local level without transparency or input from residents.
According to Patterson, “The latest version of the IECC forces all new commercial construction to utilize on-site renewable electricity generation or be forced to purchase expensive Renewable Energy Credits just to meet code requirements within the city.” He added that these measures were included in extensive documentation, making them difficult for city officials and residents to identify before approval.
He also noted that while the North Central Texas Council of Governments adopted amendments to the energy conservation code, they did not recommend removing provisions related to renewable energy generation or credits. In Celina, however, city staff identified and removed these elements prior to council adoption.
Patterson said, “Starting a business is hard enough without expensive and ineffective regulation,” and announced his intention for next legislative session: “That’s why, next session, I aim to force public discussion on all new building code development at the local level. By exposing this international influence to the local community and local input, we will protect the Texas economic miracle in every corner of this state.”
Patterson has served as a Republican member of the Texas State House since 2019 representing District 106 after replacing Pat Fallon according to Ballotpedia.
Looking ahead, Patterson’s comments suggest further debate over building codes may take place during upcoming legislative sessions as he seeks more transparency in how such rules are adopted.
