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Lancaster County to consider adopting updated city building codes and fee changes
Summary
Planning and Development Services recommended aligning county building codes and electrical/mechanical fee schedules with the City of Lincoln, including adopting the 2018 International Energy Code and 2021/2023 updates; county public hearings and action are scheduled in June.
David Cary, director of Lincoln‑Lancaster County Planning and Development Services, briefed the board on proposed county code updates and electrical and mechanical fee schedule changes. Cary said the Interlocal Agreement requires the county to adopt codes when enumerated by city resolution and recommended alignment so permit and inspection processes are uniform across the city and county.
Cary reviewed that the City of Lincoln adopted 2021 editions of the International Residential, Building and Mechanical codes and the 2023 National Electrical Code; he noted the county is being asked to adopt the 2018 International Energy Code that the City adopted in 2020. Cary summarized expected fee changes (including modest plan‑review and inspection fee adjustments) and said most changes are cleanups and clarifications rather than major substantive shifts. The county schedule in the packet calls a public hearing on county updates for June 16 and action on June 1 (administrative steps prior to hearing) with a target effective date about one month after county board action.
Board members expressed general agreement that county and city codes should align; no county action was taken at the briefing. Staff indicated fee changes may be delayed until an Accela Automation move to cloud is complete in mid‑2026.
