Yes! Strong building codes save you money by reducing and preventing disaster losses. According to FEMA, structures built using codes are 77% less likely to experience damage. Additionally, they help qualify you for lower homeowners and flood insurance rates because they score favorably on the ISO Building Code Effectiveness Grading Schedule (BCEGS), a score automatically factored into your insurance premium rating. Additionally, modern codes include protective features that may qualify you for insurance discounts and make your home more insurable overall.
Many economic studies validate building code savings. One entitled, Economic Effectiveness of Implementing a Statewide Building Code: The Case of Florida, found that the statewide Florida Building Code reduced windstorm losses by up to 72% and resulted in 5 dollars in losses saved for every 1 dollar of added costs with a payback period of approximately ten years.
Another study by the National Institute of Building Sciences found that buildings designed to meet the 2018 International Code Council (ICC) model code generated a benefit of $11 for every $1 invested.
The color-coded analysis is based on the best available data and reflects the adoption status of the International Residential Code (IRC) and International Building Code (IBC). It does not reflect information regarding building code enforcement.
If you receive a gray color-coded finding for your search area, your community’s residential building code adoption status may not be available; however, you may contact your local government for the information. Please remember that mobile homes and manufactured housing are not constructed using the codes reflected in this analysis, so this website does not apply to those home types.
If you know that your community has adopted the International Residential Code, but you receive gray or other color findings in error, please use the “Share Data” button at the bottom of this page or email us at Info@Flash.org. We will evaluate and update the information.
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Data: The data provided on this website includes publicly available, individually researched, and source-provided data, including “as is” data via the Zestimate API. The Zillow data is subject to © Zillow, Inc., 2006-2023, and use is subject to Terms of Use.
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Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH)® – January 2025