2026 FGI Code for Planning and Design of Residential Care and Support Settings
The 2026 FGI Code for Planning and Design of Residential Care and Support Settings establishes the minimum requirements for the planning, design, and construction of a broad range of residential care and support settings. Covered facility and setting types include nursing homes, hospice facilities, assisted living settings, residential behavioral and mental health treatment facilities, long-term substance use disorder treatment facilities, settings for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, adult day care and adult day health care facilities, wellness centers, and outpatient rehabilitation therapy facilities.
Beginning with the 2026 edition, the FGI Codes contain only minimum requirements intended for adoption and enforcement. Explanatory material, advisory information, and best practices have been removed from the FGI Code and are available separately in the digital-only 2026 FGI Handbook for Planning and Design of Residential Care and Support Settings. This distinction clearly separates enforceable requirements from supplemental guidance.
The 2026 FGI Residential Code incorporates substantial revisions that reflect evolving care models, resident needs, and facility operations. Updates to general project requirements improve the organization of provisions related to project planning, renovations, and commissioning. Additional revisions address specialized care populations, resident room requirements, dining and social spaces, central bathing facilities, accommodations for individuals of size, and support for peritoneal dialysis in resident rooms.
New and revised minimum requirements also address behavioral and mental health treatment settings, occupancy provisions, shared toilet rooms, mobility device storage, and building systems. Ventilation, plumbing, communications, elevator, and related systems requirements have been consolidated and clarified to improve usability and coordination.
The 2026 FGI Residential Code also incorporates the complete 2025 edition of ANSI/ASHRAE/ASHE Standard 170, establishing the minimum ventilation requirements for applicable residential care and support settings within a single adopted resource.
The FGI Residential Code incorporates the 2025 edition of ANSI/ASHRAE/ASHE Standard 170: Ventilation of Health Care Facilities as minimum ventilation requirements.