Though Louisiana is in the middle of the pack when it comes to the strength of its residential building codes and enforcement, the state has made marked progress in strengthening its rules in recent years, a new report shows.
As Insurance Journal reports, the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety recently released its “Rating the States” report, which examines 18 coastal states along the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Coast and the progress those states have made in strengthening their residential building code systems since 2012, when IBHS first generated such a report.
Louisiana is ranked No. 8 among the 18 states, with a score of 82 on the 100 point scale—up from a score of 73 in the original 2012 report.
In assessing the states, the report uses as its guideline the model building code developed by the International Code Council known as the International Residential Code, which is updated every three years. The report notes Louisiana still has work to do when it comes to ensuring its codes match the IRC.
“Unfortunately, Louisiana took a step backward in 2013, with the approval of an Emergency Declaration by the State Code Council, which adopted the 2012 editions of the IRC design wind speed maps without the new trigger for following high-wind design requirements,” the report says. “By adopting the new design wind speed maps without delineating high-wind design or windborne debris regions, the state created a deficiency in protecting residential dwellings in areas subject to high winds.”
Other problematic areas for Louisiana’s residential codes, the report says, include “a state program that requires building certification; however, no mandatory code education classes are included in the certification process.” Also, while contractors of all types are required to hold licenses in the state, the report says Louisiana does not require electrical, mechanical and roofing contractors to take continuing education classes.
“Louisiana’s score in the area of contractor licensing has improved; however, the state should fix the deficiency created by the 2013 Emergency Declaration in regard to windborne debris protections requirements of the code,” the report says.
After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Louisiana passed state legislation requiring mandatory code adoption and enforcement. Local amendments to the code are not allowed, according to IBHS.
Of the 18 states included in the report, the top five scores were given to Virginia (95), Florida (94) and South Carolina (92); while Mississippi (28), Alabama (26) and Delaware (17) received the lowest scores. See the complete report.
