ON JULY 1, 2024, both an updated Stretch Code and the Municipal Opt-In Specialized Stretch Code will go into effect in Worcester. While Worcester was already a stretch code community, the City Council voted to adopt the specialized stretch code in September 2023. So, what is the Municipal Opt-In Specialized Stretch Code? Referred to hereafter as the “Specialized” code, it is an optional update to the already-existing “Stretch Code” that aims to further the electrification of new residential and commercial buildings built in Massachusetts. Massachusetts has a series of regularly updated building regulations that set minimum standards for building design and construction concerned with energy efficiency and use. New construction in communities is by default built in accordance with the “base code,” but municipal governing bodies can adopt the stretch code, or, further, the specialized code.

The intent of the specialized code is to create the next generation of energy efficient buildings. It goes slightly beyond the regulations found in the stretch code and much further than the base code stipulated in “An Act Relative to Green Communities” (2008 Mass. Acts Chapter 169). The specialized code was borne out of the MA Climate Act of 2021, officially known as “An Act Creating a Next-Generation Roadmap for Massachusetts Climate Policy” (2021 Mass. Acts Chapter 8), which set a goal for Massachusetts’ economy to be net-zero energy by 2050. The specialized code does not dramatically overhaul the stretch code as it exists; rather, it adds a few additional requirements depending on the type and size of building being constructed. Alterations and renovations to existing buildings will continue to be governed by the existing stretch code.

The specialized code goes beyond the stretch code by requiring that new construction that uses fossil fuels be pre-wired for electrification, as well as a certain amount of solar installation depending on the size of the building, if solar is feasible.