Building codes established and enforced in municipalities today regulate the construction of buildings and other structures to protect the health, safety and welfare of the general public. Although some major cities in the United States still have their own building codes, most municipalities adopt a State code as the foundation for local building control, and modify the regulations through amendments based on their unique goals and resources. For example, Denver, Colorado, which historically had its own code structure, recently adopted a new building code based on the 2015 International Code Council (ICC) codes. City leaders say they made the move to enhance energy-efficiency and safety guided by best-practices research and input from the
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Around the turn of the 20th century, huge conflagrations in San Francisco and Baltimore, and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, compelled insurance companies to explore ways to manage risk more effectively. Working with the National Board of Fire Underwriters (NBFU), the industry developed a survey that considered every aspect of a municipality from topography and local weather to civic affairs and roadways. Using this survey, insurance companies established guidelines for building codes that addressed doors, shutters and building materials, as well as fire department equipment and fire house locations. Their goal was to encourage municipalities who wished to get the most favorable rates would adopt these guides. Early building codes were driven by financial motives, and developed to protect property, not people.
Let's talk about what is covered under a building code.
Remember those exhaustive insurance company survey's mentioned above? If you look at what is regulated by building codes today, you can see fire protection still plays a significant role in shaping the municipal policy. However, in recent years there has been a push to implement sustainability guidelines that protect the environment, curb energy consumption and reduce our nation's carbon footprint.
Here is a brief snapshot of some of the various components covered in standard building control
Around the turn of the 20th century, huge conflagrations in San Francisco and Baltimore, and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, compelled insurance companies to explore ways to manage risk more effectively. Working with the National Board of Fire Underwriters (NBFU), the industry developed a survey that considered every aspect of a municipality from topography and local weather to civic affairs and roadways. Using this survey, insurance companies established guidelines for building codes that addressed doors, shutters and building materials, as well as fire department equipment and fire house locations. Their goal was to encourage municipalities who wished to get the most favorable rates would adopt these guides. Early building codes were driven by financial motives, and developed to protect property, not people.
Let's talk about what is covered under a building code.
Remember those exhaustive insurance company survey's mentioned above? If you look at what is regulated by building codes today, you can see fire protection still plays a significant role in shaping the municipal policy. However, in recent years there has been a push to implement sustainability guidelines that protect the environment, curb energy consumption and reduce our nation's carbon footprint.
Here is a brief snapshot of some of the various components covered in standard building control