building codes

Exclusive: Trump administration drops work on stronger building codes for disasters

5:05pm February 20, 2025

To help homes survive more intense disasters, FEMA has been developing recommendations for stronger building codes. The Trump Administration has pulled them back.

These houses survived one of the country's worst wildfires. Here’s how

7:00am September 17, 2024

The wildfire in Lahaina, Maui, spread through extreme winds and intense heat. Still, a handful of houses were untouched thanks to the owners preparing the buildings and yards.

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Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visits the city center destroyed by last the Feb. 6 earthquake in Kahramanmaras, southern Turkey, on Feb. 8.

World News

Videos show Turkey's Erdogan boasted letting builders avoid earthquake codes

2:10pm February 13, 2023

by Peter Kenyon

Videos have surfaced in Turkish media of the president in 2019 praising a policy that let builders off the hook for skirting safety codes that could have made buildings more quake resistant.

Health & Safety

Winston Weaver Company won't be back at former site. New zoning rules and other codes see to it.

4:52pm January 31, 2023

by David Ford

One year ago, a major fire broke out in Winston-Salem that had the potential for catastrophic damage.

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Many Western states lack building codes that require wildfire-resistant materials, but a new study shows the cost can be minimal.

Environment

Fireproofing your home isn't very expensive — but few states require it

5:07pm July 28, 2022

by Lauren Sommer

Many Western states lack building codes for wildfire-resistant homes. But a new study finds the costs can be minimal, undercutting long-held building industry arguments against such codes.

Hurricane Irma damaged homes in the Florida Keys in 2017. A new study finds buildings in the contiguous U.S. are concentrated in disaster-prone areas.

Science

More Than Half Of U.S. Buildings Are In Places Prone To Disaster, Study Finds

7:00am June 24, 2021

by Rebecca Hersher

Buildings are concentrated in places that are likely to be hit by a disaster such as a hurricane, flood or wildfire, researchers found. That includes both urban and rural hotspots.

Flames approach houses during the Tick Fire on Oct. 24, 2019 in Canyon Country, California.

Rebuilding After A Wildfire? Most States Don't Require Fire-Resistant Materials

1:23pm November 25, 2020

by Lauren Sommer

Homeowners are rebuilding after wildfires, but many won't be required by governments to use fire-resistant materials. Without such improvements, communities face harm again with the next fire.

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Firefighters struggle to protect homes from the embers generated by bushfires near the town of Nowra in New South Wales, Australia.

Australian Fires Prompt Questions About Protecting Houses From Embers

4:21pm January 07, 2020

by Rebecca Hersher

Massive Australian wildfires are sending embers high into the atmosphere. When they rain down, they can start new fires far from the original source, and some buildings are more flammable than others.

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A motorists on Highway 101 watches flames from the Thomas fire leap above the roadway north of Ventura, Calif., in December 2017. Hundreds of homes were destroyed in what was then California's most destructive wildfire.

Fire-Resistant Is Not Fire-Proof, California Homeowners Discover

7:57am December 09, 2018

by Emily Guerin

California has some of the strictest building codes in the country for homes built in areas with wildfire risk. But recent fires show that even the most fire-resistant homes will burn.

The cladding used in a 2016 refurbishing of Grenfell Tower in London helped last week's fatal fire spread. The combustible material is permitted in some parts of the U.S.

Some U.S. States Relax Restrictions On Cladding Suspected In Grenfell Tower Fire

12:30pm June 24, 2017

by Jeff Brady

Changes to building codes in some U.S. jurisdictions may allow the use of siding similar to that of Grenfell Tower in London. A fire at the apartment building killed at least 79 people last week.