Building Standards Updates
Minnesota Housing maintains minimum design standards to meet Minnesotans' needs for decent, safe, and sustainable affordable housing. These standards (Building Standards) assist architects and contractors in understanding their role within Minnesota Housing's development process and associated requirements with their services.
The information below is a quick-reference summary of changes and updates for a number of Building Standards documents, and is intended to assist development teams planning to submit a 2026 Multifamily Consolidated Request for Proposals (RFP)/2027 Housing Tax Credit (HTC) Round 1 application.
Reference the revised documents for full understanding of changes and requirements. Current Building Standards documents, standards, guides, and templates may be found on Minnesota Housing’s Building Standards webpage.
NSPIRE
The U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has sunset the Uniform Physical Conditions Standards (UPCS) and the Housing Quality Standards (HQS) for minimum property physical conditions. The National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate (NSPIRE) is now the standard all Minnesota Housing new construction and rehabilitation capital funded properties must comply with. Existing properties monitored by Minnesota Housing are also required to comply with NSPIRE. Our applicable Building Standards documents have been edited to reflect this change.
MN Overlay and Guide to the Enterprise Green Communities Criteria
The 2026 version of the Enterprise Green Communities Criteria (EGCC) was released by Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. earlier this year. Minnesota Housing is not planning to adopt the 2026 EGCC until our 2028 document revision cycle. The 2026 Multifamily Consolidated RFP/2027 HTC Round 1 will require the MN Overlay and Guide to the EGGC updated in April 2026, which continues to reference and edit the 2020 EGCC.
Criteria 5.5: Moving to Zero Carbon: Electrification Clarification No.1
Space heating electric readiness is mandatory for new construction projects. This does not require main electric service panels, main switch gear, or transformers be included or sized for future all-electric needs. The intent is for these components to be upgraded as needed in the future and to allow branch circuits to be added at that time.
Optional points are available for rehabilitation projects that are space heating electric ready. To be eligible, electric service panels, switch gear, etc. must be upsized for future all-electric needs. The branch circuits and transformers are not required to be included or upsized.
Criteria 5.5: Moving to Zero Carbon: Electrification Clarification No. 2
When centralized space heating and/or water heating is present at new construction projects, provide appropriately sized conduit from the main service panel to within three feet of the equipment. If the main service panel is in the same room as the centralized equipment, or if conduit or raceway can be run between them through an exposed space (such as garage, mechanical rooms, trash rooms, etc.) the conduit does not need to be included at initial construction.
When centralized space heating and/or water heating is present at rehabilitation projects, provide appropriately sized conduit from the main service panel to within three feet of the equipment. This includes if the main service panel is in the same room as the centralized equipment, or if conduit or raceway can be run between them through an exposed space (such as garage, mechanical rooms, trash rooms, etc.).
Criteria 5.5: Moving to Zero Carbon: Electrification Clarification No.3
For new construction projects and rehabilitation projects with building types where individualized dwelling unit space heating is provided, provisions must be included to allow seamless switch to electricity fuel source space heating. The provisions at each unit can be either one of the following:
- Upsized unit load centers in dwelling units by increasing the calculated feeder conductor by two sizes to allow for additional circuit(s) to be added later, or
- Empty conduit provided from the main building service panel/switch gear to each dwelling unit load center with the intent of allowing additional circuit wiring to be pulled for future in-unit heating, or
- Empty conduit provided from the main building service panel/switch gear to the HVAC closet within each dwelling unit.
Sizing of feeder conductor and/or conduit shall be as noted above or based upon reasonable design assumptions for the electric conversion of the equipment.
Criteria 5.5: Moving to Zero Carbon: Electrification Clarification No.4
For building types where 100% of all dwelling unit space heating is provided by a centralized heating system, there are no requirements to convert dwelling units to individualized space heating.
Criteria 5.5: Moving to Zero Carbon: Electrification Clarification No. 5
Electric clothes drying is mandatory for new construction projects. Optional points are available for rehabilitation projects that are clothes drying electric ready or provide electric clothes drying.
At common area laundry rooms with commercial-grade clothes dryers, it is acceptable to have gas fuel source type clothes dryers; however, power to change each piece of equipment to electric must be included in addition to the gas connection. The power may be an actual receptacle and branch circuit at each clothes dryer, or junction box with conduit to a service panel sized to allow installation of the electric clothes dryer in the future.
Rental Housing Design/Construction Standards
Edits to the follow chapters and appendix of this document have been made to require and comply with NSPIRE:
- Chapter 3 – General Occupancy Rehabilitation Minimum Standards
- Chapter 7 – Design, Construction, and Property Standards for Federally Funded Projects
- Chapter 8 – Critical Physical Needs and Preservation Funded Projects
- Appendix B – National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate (NSPIRE) for Multifamily Housing Rehabilitation Involving Federal Programs
Capital and Physical Needs Templates and Documents
The following Minnesota Housing templates and documents have been revised to comply with NSPIRE:
- 20 Year Capital Expenditure Template
- 20 Year Capital Expenditure Template (scattered site/multiple building type version)
- 20 Year Capital Expenditure Template Instructions
- Physical Needs Assessment Template (multifamily buildings)
- Physical Needs Assessment Template (single family homes)
- Limited Scope Rehabilitation Abbreviated Design Standards
Contractor’s Guide
Contractor pay application retainage limits have been revised (Chapter 9 – Post-Construction Due Diligence). After a Certificate of Substantial Completion (AIA Document G7804) has been issued, an owner or owner’s agent may not withhold more than:
- 250% of the cost to correct or complete work known at time of substantial completion.
- 1% of the value of the contract or $500, whichever is greater, pending completion and submission of all final paperwork by the contractor or subcontractor.
Architect’s Guide
The Architect’s Guide is not scheduled for updates in 2026; the 2026 Multifamily Consolidated RFP/2027 HTC Round 1 will require the Architect’s Guide updated in April 2025. Any reference of 1.5 times the value or cost to correct or complete work will be subordinate to the 250% (2.5) requirement noted in the 2026-2027 Contractor’s Guide.
Multifamily Intended Methods Worksheet
Minor reformatting to make the form easier to use.
Receive Free Training for Energy Efficient Affordable Housing
Minnesota Housing’s Capacity Building Grant has funded the Center for Energy and Environment (CEE) to offer free, personalized training and technical assistance for affordable housing projects. The technical assistance and training can range from consulting on specific or broad project goals to understanding efficient building practices and energy certifications. You can learn more and get started by visiting CEE’s Training for Energy Efficient Affordable Housing webpage.
About Minnesota Housing
Minnesota Housing, the state’s housing finance agency, works to provide access to safe, stable and accessible housing Minnesotans can afford in a community of their choice. In 2025, we distributed $1.8 billion in resources and served 73,000 households. Visit our website to learn more.
|
