Recently, the exclusive compulsory technical code (GB 50982-2014) for structural health monitoring of buildings and bridges in China has been developed and implemented. This code covers the majority of the field monitoring methods and stipulates the corresponding technical parameters for monitoring of high-rise structures, large-span spatial structures, bridges and base-isolated structures. This article first presents the comprehensive review and linear comparison of existing structural health monitoring codes and standards. Subsequently, the progress of the codification of GB 50982-2014 is imparted and its main features and specifications are summarized. Finally, in accordance with GB50982-2014, several representative structural health monitoring practical applications of large-scale infrastructures in China are exemplified to illustrate how this national code can bridge the gap between theory and practical applications of structural health monitoring. This technical code is an important milestone in the application of well-established structural health monitoring techniques into the realistic and complex engineering projects. Also, it can provide abundant and authoritative information for practitioners and researchers involving the structural health monitoring techniques.