Why States Must Adopt the Latest I-Codes to Protect Schools and Communities: Carbon monoxide regulations shouldn't live in a loophole

When you walk into a daycare, a high school, or a college campus, you assume it’s safe. But the truth is, the health and safety of millions of Americans depend on which edition of the building/fire safety codes their state has adopted, and whether those codes keep pace with today’s risks. When people type "carbon monoxide regulations" into Google, they get anything but a simple, straightforward answer.

What Are the I-Codes?

The International Codes (I-Codes), developed by the International Code Council (ICC), are the most widely accepted set of building/fire safety codes in the U.S. These fifteen coordinated codes cover everything from new construction to existing buildings to fire and life safety.

The problem? The I-Codes are only model Codes. States must choose to legislatively adopt them thereby making the requirements legally binding — and many adopt outdated editions or weaken them with amendments. This leaves children and staff with very different levels of protection depending on where they live.

A Dangerous Patchwork

Safety should never depend on your zip code. Yet right now, it does.*

• Tennessee is still using the 2012 editions of the building and fire codes…more than a decade out of date.

• Texas, on the 2015 editions, has had 11 carbon monoxide incidents in schools over the past five years, the most in the nation.

• Pennsylvania and West Virginia (2018 editions) reported multiple school poisonings.

• Colorado, Maryland, and others using the 2021 editions report far fewer incidents. NOTE: For example, Illinois has no statewide fire code. Instead, it’s up to the local jurisdictions to adopt the model codes.

• Only California has fully adopted the 2024 editions, the most modern standards

And because there are currently no federal requirements for carbon monoxide safety in schools and daycares, every decision is left up to the states. The result is a patchwork of protection — where a child’s safety depends less on science and more on geography.

In other words, while California students attend schools built and retrofitted to the safest codes in the world, children in Tennessee are governed by standards from 12 years ago.

What the Data Shows

Our CO Safety Impact Brief, coming out later this month (September 2025), analyzed 103 press-reported CO incidents in schools, campuses, and daycares over the last five years. The pattern is clear:

• States using older codes experience a higher number of campus CO incidents.

• States that adopted modern codes (2021 or 2024) reported fewer campus CO events.

• Most incidents happened in existing buildings, not new construction, which makes the International Existing Building Code (IEBC) and International Fire Code (IFC) especially critical.

Modern model codes save lives, especially in older schools and campuses.

Codes Don’t Work Alone: Enter NFPA 72

But codes don’t work in isolation. Even when legislation or code adoption requires CO detection in schools, that’s only half the equation. For those requirements to truly protect people, they must be paired with the technical standards that dictate how detection devices are installed, tested, and maintained.

That’s where NFPA 72 comes in.

• The International Fire Code (IFC), and in some cases legislation, sets the “what”: the legal requirement that a school must have a fire alarm or carbon monoxide detection system.

• NFPA 72 sets the “how”: the technical details for designing, installing, and maintaining those systems.

In short:

• IFC = the mandate that says you need the system (if adopted by a state).

• NFPA 72 = the installation standard that specifies how to do it right.

When states fall behind on code adoption, they’re not just behind on paperwork. They’re skipping the proven standards that make detection and alarm systems actually work, and keep communities safe.

Case Study: From Survivor Mom to Safety Advocate

In 2020, my children were poisoned by carbon monoxide at their daycare. Overnight, I went from being a mom of survivors to an advocate determined to make sure no other family experienced what mine had.

In Virginia, I learned that you can’t change the building code without first changing the law. That year, I worked with lawmakers to pass legislation requiring carbon monoxide detection in all new and existing schools and daycares. It was a huge victory — but it also opened my eyes.

As I became more involved with the International Code Council (ICC) and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), I saw how codes and standards are really shaped. They’re updated by technical experts, informed by data, and strengthened by the voices of citizens who bring lived experience. This is the “sandbox” where safety should be built: not piecemeal through state laws passed only after tragedy, but through the national consensus process that creates uniform, science-driven protections.

But even this system takes time. Updates to codes and standards must be drafted, debated, published, and then adopted and enforced by states. That process can take years.

So, do I still believe there should be federal legislation requiring carbon monoxide detection in daycares, schools, and college campuses? Absolutely. A federal mandate can move faster than the code cycle, guarantee protection for children and staff while codes catch up, and ensure stricter penalties for anyone who knowingly chooses not to keep their occupants safe.

The Call to Action for Carbon Monoxide Regulations

We shouldn’t have to wait for more tragedies to act. States must:

• Adopt the latest I-Codes (IBC, IEBC, IFC, NFPA 1, and NFPA 101) without delay.

• Pair them with NFPA 72 enforcement to ensure systems work as intended.

• Stop relying on reactive legislation after incidents and move toward proactive, nationwide safety.

At CO Safe Schools, we know firsthand what happens when safety gaps go unaddressed. Adopting the most recent I-Codes and enforcing them alongside NFPA 72 is one of the simplest, most effective ways to protect students, educators, and families from preventable harm.

*Current I-Code edition usage sourced from ICCSafe.org, as of August 2025.