Reinforced concrete (RC) joint shear strength models are constructed using an experimental database in conjunction with a Bayesian parameter estimation method. The experimental database consists of RC beam-column connection test subassemblies that maintained proper confinement within the joint panel. All included test subassemblies were subjected to quasi-static cyclic lateral loading and eventually experienced joint shear failure (either in conjunction with or without yielding of beam reinforcement); subassemblies with out-of-plane members and/or eccentricity between the beam(s) and the column are not included in this study. Three types of joint shear strength models are developed. The first model considers all possible influence parameters on joint shear strength. The second model contains those parameters left after a step-wise process that systematically identifies and removes the least important parameters affecting RC joint shear strength. The third model simplifies the second model for convenient application in practical design. All three models are unbiased and show similar levels of scatter. Finally, the improved performance of the simplified model for design is identified by comparison with the current ACI 352R-02 RC joint shear strength model.