Fire Chiefs Assn., IBHS call for federal legislation to encourage states to adopt, enforce building codes

The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) are asking Congress to enact the Safe Building Code Incentive Act (SBCIA), which provides financial incentives for states to adopt and enforce building codes. This bill would provide qualifying states with an additional 4% of Stafford Act grant funding available for post-disaster assistance if builders and contractors use nationally recognized model building codes. States would need to adopt and enforce the International Residential Code (IRC) from one of the two most recent updates.