The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) has released the 2018 edition of its report, “Rating the States,” assessing the building code systems in 18 hurricane-prone states.
North Carolina ranked seventh amongst 18 Atlantic and Gulf Coast States this year, with a score of 83 out of 100. Florida ranked first with 95, Virginia ranked second with 94 and South Carolina was third with 92. In the previous IBHS Rating report, issued in 2015, North Carolina also ranked seventh with a score of 84. IBHS has a presence in the Carolinas as the IBHS Research Center is in Richburg, S.C., 40 miles southeast of Charlotte.
The release of the 2018 edition of “Rating the States,” follows a disastrous year of storms in 2017 and informs discussion and action to improve building strength as communities repair or replace buildings damaged by hurricanes last year. The 2018 Atlantic Hurricane Season begins June 1.
According to the 2018 IBHS rating report, North Carolina is currently enforcing the 2009 edition of the International Residential Code (IRC) with North Carolina Building Code amendments. The report indicated no significant changes have been made in the state amendments over the past seven years.
“Mother Nature delivered a beating to the U.S. and its territories during 2017, with 25 million people impacted by hurricanes and many more by other severe weather events,” says Debra Ballen, IBHS general counsel and senior vice president of public policy. “Bad weather is not new and will not stop. But what can and must stop is the continued construction, and inevitable destruction, of vulnerable buildings built, and too often rebuilt, in questionable locations. We must build stronger, to code standards proven to reduce risk, and stop allowing today’s weather events to become expensive disasters for building owners, communities, states and the entire nation.”
Like its predecessors, this edition of “Rating the States,” assesses the progress of 18 hurricane-prone coastal states along the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Seaboard in strengthening their building code systems. IBHS issued prior versions of this landmark report in 2012 and 2015.
Similar to the 2015 edition, the IBHS report finds that most states with strong building code systems in place at the time of the original 2012 report remain committed to building safety. These states have updated their codes to recent model code editions, or are in the process of doing so, and they have maintained effective enforcement systems.
“States with updated codes saw proof last year in Florida that updated, well-enforced building codes have led to the construction of buildings that can stand up to hurricane winds. These codes work,” Ballen says. “Unfortunately, many states have taken no action to improve their code systems, and a few have weaker systems in place now than they had in 2015.”
Ballen added IBHS believes codes that are poorly enforced, lagging current standards or are nonexistent at a statewide level create a regrettable set of circumstances and unnecessary hazards. Benefits of a an enforced and routinely updated code include:
- Giving residents a sense of security about the safety and soundness of their buildings.
- Offering protection to first responders during and after fires and other disaster events.
- Promoting a level playing field for designers, builders, and suppliers.
- Reflecting recent design and technology innovation, incorporating newly identified best practices and cost efficiencies.
- Reducing the amount of solid waste in landfills produced by buildings that have been damaged or destroyed during disasters.
In developing its “Rating the States,” report, IBHS assessed 47 data points to address the effectiveness of the states’ building code programs. This included code adoption and enforcement; building official training and certification; and licensing requirements for construction trades. The report also offers a roadmap with specific details for states to follow as they seek to update and improve their code systems.
The full 2018 Rating the States report with state-specific information, as well as the original 2015 and 2012 “Rating the States,” reports, are available on the IBHS Rating the States website. For additional information about building codes, please visit the IBHS Building Code website.