FGI Codes for Planning and Design (2026) and Guidelines for Design and Construction (2022) — Pest Exclusion in Healthcare Facility Design

Citation

Facility Guidelines Institute (FGI). 2026 FGI Codes for Planning and Design, released August 31, 2026, with the 2026 FGI Handbooks for Planning and Design; primary source https://fgicodes.org/ (the former fgiguidelines.org now redirects there). With the 2026 release FGI renamed the work: the Codes carry the minimum compliance requirements and the Handbooks the commentary, technical guidance, and best practice. The 2022 Guidelines for Design and Construction — three documents: of Hospitals; of Outpatient Facilities; and of Residential Health, Care, and Support Facilities — remain the edition under which existing facilities were designed and which most state licensing rules still adopt by reference, and are the version that governs the buildings this page is about. FGI publishes on a four-year cycle.

What It Says (Operative Provisions Relevant to Pest Management)

FGI’s documents — the 2022 Guidelines for Design and Construction and, from August 31, 2026, the FGI Codes for Planning and Design — are the U.S. standard for healthcare facility design and construction; the Guidelines are adopted by reference in the hospital licensing rules of approximately 40 U.S. states. Everything below is this reference’s reading of the design standard, not FGI’s text. FGI publishes no free text at this granularity, and none of the items below is quoted from or confirmed against any public FGI material; where a state licensing rule adopts FGI by reference, that rule — free and quotable — is the place to anchor a specific requirement.

Building envelope pest exclusion:

This reference reads the design standard’s envelope requirements as simultaneously serving infection control, energy efficiency, and pest exclusion:

• Exterior wall penetrations sealed against pest entry
• Roof junctions and parapet details designed to prevent pest harborage
• Door thresholds, sweeps, and weatherstripping requirements at exterior openings
• Window screening requirements (intersecting with CDC HICPAC E.V.2 window screening recommendation)
• Loading dock door seal and air curtain requirements
• Utility penetration sealing requirements

Kitchen and dietary area design:

This reference reads the design standard’s kitchen, cafeteria, and food-storage requirements as incorporating pest exclusion:

• Floor-to-wall coving requirements eliminating right-angle harborage
• Drain design preventing pest passage through the sanitary sewer system
• Storage shelving height clearances facilitating inspection and pest monitoring
• Door and window screening requirements specific to food service
• Ventilation design preventing pest entry through mechanical systems

Sterile processing and pharmacy compounding design:

This reference reads the design standard’s requirements for sterile processing departments, pharmacy compounding areas, and other critical clean spaces as including:

• Air pressure relationships preventing pest-laden air movement into clean spaces
• Wall, floor, and ceiling junction sealing
• Door interlock and vestibule requirements at clean-area perimeters
• Surface material requirements compatible with frequent cleaning and pest inspection

Mechanical and electrical room design:

This reference reads the design standard as reaching pest exclusion in mechanical rooms, electrical rooms, telecommunications closets, and other support spaces commonly affected by pest activity:

• Penetration sealing requirements
• Drain pan and condensate management preventing standing water harborage
• Cable and pipe sleeve sealing requirements
• Access door seal requirements

Loading dock design:

This reference reads the design standard’s loading dock provisions as addressing pest exclusion at one of the highest-risk pest entry zones in any healthcare facility:

• Dock leveler seal requirements
• Air curtain or dock seal requirements at active dock openings
• Pest-resistant exterior storage design
• Waste handling area pest exclusion requirements

What It Means in Plain Language

FGI’s Guidelines (2022) and Codes (2026) are the architectural and engineering standard that determines how U.S. healthcare facilities are designed and built. The guidelines are not directly enforceable as federal regulation, but they are adopted by reference in state hospital licensing rules (approximately 40 states), referenced by The Joint Commission and DNV-GL as standard of care for facility design, and referenced by Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs) during facility permitting and construction inspection.

The practical implication for pest management programs serving healthcare facilities:

1. Pest exclusion is built into facility design. A healthcare facility constructed under FGI Guidelines has architectural pest exclusion features that pest management programs can leverage. A facility constructed without FGI compliance (or under older FGI editions) may have architectural deficiencies requiring elevated operational pest management to compensate.
2. Renovation and addition work must maintain pest exclusion design. Every renovation, addition, or major repair project in an FGI-compliant facility must maintain pest exclusion features. Pest management programs should be consulted during renovation planning to ensure architectural pest exclusion is preserved or improved.
3. Loading docks, kitchens, and mechanical rooms are the highest-leverage pest exclusion zones. This reference reads the design standard as addressing these zones, which are the highest-frequency pest entry points in healthcare facilities. Pest management programs that focus on these zones address the architectural-level pest exclusion failures most likely to undermine the broader pest management effort.
4. Sterile spaces have specialized architectural pest exclusion. Operating rooms, sterile processing, pharmacy compounding, and other critical clean spaces have, on this reference’s reading of the design standard, architectural pest exclusion features that must be maintained throughout the facility lifecycle. Loss of these features through deferred maintenance constitutes both an infection control failure and a pest exclusion failure.

Who It Applies To

FGI Guidelines apply by reference to:

• New construction of U.S. healthcare facilities in states that adopt FGI (approximately 40 states)
• Major renovations and additions in FGI-adopting states
• Healthcare facility design projects in non-adopting states where FGI is referenced as standard of care
• All U.S. healthcare facility types: acute-care, critical access, ambulatory, long-term care, hospice, behavioral health, rehabilitation, pediatric

The specific FGI volume depends on facility type:

• Hospitals: Guidelines for Design and Construction of Hospitals
• Outpatient: Guidelines for Design and Construction of Outpatient Facilities
• Long-term care, hospice, behavioral health, residential: Guidelines for Design and Construction of Residential Health, Care, and Support Facilities

Documentation Evidence Required

For pest management documentation supporting FGI-aligned facility operations:

• Facility design documentation indicating FGI edition under which the facility was designed
• Renovation and addition project documentation demonstrating FGI compliance maintenance
• Architectural pest exclusion inspection records (door seals, screens, penetrations, junction integrity)
• Coordination documentation between pest management and facilities management for architectural pest exclusion maintenance
• Loading dock, kitchen, sterile processing, and mechanical room pest exclusion verification records

How Surveyors Evaluate It

State health department surveyors evaluate FGI compliance directly in states that adopt FGI by reference. Joint Commission and DNV-GL surveyors reference FGI Guidelines as standard of care during facility tours. AHJs evaluate FGI compliance during construction permitting and inspection.

Surveyors evaluating pest management in the context of FGI compliance look for:

• Architectural pest exclusion features in good repair (door seals, screens, penetrations)
• Kitchen, dietary, and food storage design compliance with the pest exclusion features this reference reads the design standard as calling for
• Loading dock pest exclusion features functional and maintained
• Sterile space design integrity (junction sealing, pressure relationships, surface materials)
• Mechanical and electrical room pest exclusion maintenance

Common findings: deteriorated door seals at exterior openings, damaged window screens, unsealed wall and floor penetrations in mechanical rooms, deteriorated dock seals, and renovation projects that compromised original architectural pest exclusion features.

Confidence Notes

MEDIUM confidence. FGI’s text is licensed (sold through ASHE at approximately $200-$400 per volume). The design points on this page are this reference’s reading, voiced as such, derived from state hospital licensing regulations that adopt FGI by reference (verifiable through state administrative code), ASHE/HFM published articles, and architectural industry analysis; no public FGI material confirms them at this granularity. Edition and title verified September 15, 2026: the 2026 FGI Codes for Planning and Design were released August 31, 2026 and rename the work; fgiguidelines.org redirects to fgicodes.org; the 2022 Guidelines for Design and Construction remain the edition most state licensing rules adopt by reference. State adoption status varies and should be verified against individual state hospital licensing rules.

Related Killed Claims

• “FGI Guidelines are federal regulation.” Disconfirmed. FGI is a nonprofit organization, not a federal regulator. FGI Guidelines are adopted by reference in state hospital licensing rules and referenced as standard of care by accrediting bodies, but they are not directly federal regulation.
• “FGI Guidelines require Board Certified Entomologist involvement in healthcare facility design.” Disconfirmed. FGI does not address pest management credentialing in facility design. BCE involvement in facility design is a best practice for pest-sensitive facility types but is not an FGI requirement.