The showdown in the Florida statehouse last year had all the drama of a knock-down political brawl: Powerful industries clashing. Warnings of death and destruction. And a surprise last-minute vote, delivering a sweeping reform bill to the governor’s desk. The …
In April, some 1,200 home builders, inspectors, architects and engineers gathered in Louisville, Kentucky, to debate the standards that should guide construction of the next wave of U.S. houses. Engineers had a seemingly unobjectionable proposal: Make roofs in coastal areas …
The proposal boiled down to just three paragraphs in the Federal Register: Would it be a good idea, the Federal Emergency Management Agency wondered, if Washington gave states a financial incentive to pass building codes, better protecting their residents against …
Mississippi has enacted its first statewide building code that is designed to set construction guidelines to strengthen homes and other buildings from hurricane and other weather-related damage. Governor Phil Bryant signed the legislation that advocates have been calling for since …
Among coastal hurricane-prone states, North Carolina and Louisiana have weakened their building codes since 2012, while five states have strengthened theirs. Just in time for the height of the hurricane season, the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) …
Property/casualty insurers are backing a measure in Congress to incentivize states to adopt stronger building codes. The National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC) told members of a House panel today that the measure they are considering would help to …
