{"id":38518,"date":"2024-09-26T02:23:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-26T09:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/?p=38518"},"modified":"2026-02-27T02:34:55","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T10:34:55","slug":"speaking-in-codes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/speaking-in-codes\/","title":{"rendered":"Speaking in Codes"},"content":{"rendered":"

What are building codes and why are they necessary?<\/p>\n

Building codes are regulations that apply to architects, builders, owners and others involved in a structure\u2019s construction and maintenance. Adopted and enforced by state, local, tribal and territorial entities, they ensure that buildings conform with safety and public health standards. They encompass standards for everything from the arrangement of doors and windows, minimum and maximum room ceiling heights, exit sizes and locations, room sizes and locations and structural integrity to lighting, water, ventilation, fire prevention and control, hazardous material handling, energy efficiency, drainage, occupancy limits, and parking and traffic impacts.<\/p>\n

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Disasters spur action<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Great Fire of London in 1666 prompted the first significant attempts to reduce building density and ensure that construction had some degree of fire resistance. Almost two centuries later, the London Building Act of 1855 provided the first systemic national building standard for room height, construction notifications, fireplace and drain placements and other provisions.<\/p>\n

In the U.S., building codes proliferated in the mid-19th<\/sup> century during heavy Industrial Revolution-inspired population growth in urban centers. Massive fires in Chicago and Baltimore in 1886 and 1904, respectively, along with the San Francisco earthquake in 1906, spurred additional codes and construction changes nationwide.<\/p>\n

Building codes are heavily influenced by the International Code Council (ICC), an association of building safety professionals whose members work with other interested parties to develop a consensus set of model codes, which are updated every three years.<\/p>\n

Policy at the local level<\/strong><\/p>\n

Regardless of the recommendations the ICC might make, it is \u201cat the state or local level whereby a building code in the US actually becomes law,\u201d with it being common \u201cfor the final adoption authority to be left to an individual township,\u201d according to the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program, which works to promote earthquake hazard reduction. That means, with the lone exception of manufactured housing, that there is no single national building code to which all entities must adhere.<\/p>\n

Federal laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act influence building codes and standards, and federal agencies may incentivize building owners and communities to adopt enhanced model building codes through financial and technical assistance for building construction, operation, maintenance or repair. But in general, building codes vary greatly by jurisdiction.<\/p>\n

\u2018Crucial to protecting life and property\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2018, \u201chomes built at or beyond state building codes still stood, whereas many of those built before those stringent codes were enacted were simply gone,\u201d as Hurricane Michael swept through Mexico Beach, Fla., Scientific American reported, adding, \u201cMichael is one of a growing number of multibillion-dollar disasters in the U.S. \u2013 the country has already set a record for such disasters so far this year [2023] \u2013 that \u00a0emphasize how crucial building codes are to protecting life and property. And as climate change amplifies hazards, state\u00a0and local governments must prioritize updating their residential building codes to meet minimum safety standards.\u201d<\/p>\n

Builders and others often express concern over added construction costs that codes impose, but in 2020, both the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)\u00a0and the nonprofit National Institute for Building Sciences\u00a0found that for every $1 spent on conforming to the 2018 ICC code, $11 in damage costs were saved.<\/p>\n

Building codes for all types of structures likely will continue to evolve because, as Scientific American notes, they are \u201cnot just part of climate change resiliency but good fiscal planning and common sense. The codes should be in place before disaster strikes, to avert huge costs, devastation to communities that cannot afford to rebuild\u00a0and very preventable loss of life.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What are building codes and why are they necessary? Building codes are regulations that apply to architects, builders, owners and others involved in a structure\u2019s construction and maintenance. Adopted and enforced by state, local, tribal and territorial entities, they ensure that buildings conform with safety and public health standards. They encompass standards for everything from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":610,"featured_media":37542,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_s2mail":"yes","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[210,1703],"class_list":["post-38518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-construction","tag-cre"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nYardi Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What are building codes and why are they necessary? 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