This commentary explores the challenge of climate change for building regulation based on long-term, personal observations of U.S. building regulatory systems intended to safeguard the public. According to the author, systemic problems and patterns have allowed significant large-scale hazards (e.g., those related to climate change) to be excluded from consideration in regulatory systems. Regulatory systems are typically not comprehensive, designed, integrated systems. Instead, they are silos of regulatory responsibility with gaps in authority.