Study: Florida, Virginia Have Best Building Codes

Florida and Virginia have received good marks in a survey that looks at building codes in hurricane-prone states.

The Tampa-based Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety conducted an analysis, evaluation, and comparison of building code and enforcement systems for residential buildings in the 18 states most vulnerable to catastrophic hurricanes in the U.S.

Florida and Virginia both scored the highest, with 95 out of 100 possible points.

Institute spokesman Joseph King said last week the two states did well due to a combination of strong statewide residential building codes and comprehensive regulatory processes for the building code officials, contractors, and subcontractors.

Mississippi came in at the bottom of the list. King says it’s largely due to the fact that Mississippi doesn’t have a statewide building code.