ICC, and its Cooperating Sponsors AIA and ASTM-International have supported the development of an adoptable and enforceable green building code, now augmented with ANSI/ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1, Standard for the Design of High Performance, Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, as an alternate path of compliance. The IGCC provides the building industry with language that both broadens and strengthens building codes in a way that will accelerate the construction of high-performance, green buildings. It provides a vehicle for jurisdictions to regulate green for the design and performance of new and renovated buildings in a manner that is integrated with existing codes, allowing buildings to reap the rewards of improved design and construction practices.

The code language includes both the technical content of the IGCC and Standard 189.1. Standard 189.1 is a set of technically rigorous requirements, which like the IGCC, covers criteria including water use efficiency, indoor environmental quality, energy efficiency, materials and resource use, and the building's impact on its site and its community.