Minnesota moves to adopt Hempcrete and Strawbale into Residential Building Code

On July 15, 2025, a group of natural building enthusiasts and experts presented code change proposals to Minnesota's Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) Technical Advisory Group to adopt Appendices BJ: Strawbale Construction and BL: Hemp-lime into the IRC. The proposals were supported and are moving onto the Construction Codes Advisory Council (CCAC) for public feedback and review next January 2025.

This accomplishment of gaining support to move these proposals forward was made possible through extensive collaboration with over twenty experts nationwide and in Canada. Once adopted into MN's next building code cycle, this will simplify the permitting process for Minnesota homeowners, builders, and building officials who plan to use the Appendices to build with Hempcrete or Strawbale for safe, durable, and healthy homes. Without these IRC Appendices, obtaining building permits for natural building construction can take upwards to over a year with added unnecessary costs to this process.

Read more about this process at Hempbuild Magazine MN Moves to Adopt Hempcrete, Strawbale in Residential Building Codes . — HempBuild Magazine

Presenters Pictured: Janneke Schaap, Simona Fischer AIA, Anna Koosmann AIA, Rep. Katie Jones, and Danny Desjarlais.

Not Picture: Martin Hammer and David Eisenberg