Session

FEMA, HUD, DOE, HHS, and other federal agencies are engaged in the White House National Initiative to Advance Building Codes (NIABC), which encourages state, local, Tribal, and territorial governments to adopt modern building codes.

Adopting the latest building and energy codes and standards addresses climate change impacts, reduces disaster risk, and enables communities to be more resilient to natural hazards regardless of social, economic, or other challenges.

Billions of dollars fund and incentivize Justice 40 communities and Community Disaster Resilience Zones to adopt building codes and standards. Federal funding shows a commitment to building resilient communities and emphasizes the critical role building and energy codes and standards play in advancing resilience.

Panelists will highlight and provide examples of federal collaboration and assistance programs, federal involvement in codes and standards, ongoing studies, behavioral study on barriers to community code adoption and development of national energy code standards, disaster studies demonstrating how buildings and components build or retrofitted to modern codes have fewer damages, and other federal collaborations across all levels of government, nonprofits and community-based organizations, and more.

Learning objectives:

• Demonstrate federal collaboration toward advancing modern building codes
• Provide primer on how modern and hazard-resistant building codes advance the cause for safer families and stronger homes
• Understand existing federal initiatives advancing building and energy codes and standards
• Explore pathways to advancing community resilience