States Adopt Building Codes to Make Homes Safer.

• Position: Brief Article

Homes in Texas, Utah and Florida will be standing stronger against the forces of nature thanks to state legislators and building code administrators.

The Texas Legislature approved the adoption of the International Code Council's (ICC) International Residential Code for one- and two-family dwellings. The bill went into effect Sept. 1, but cities have until Jan. 1, 2002, to begin enforcing it.

"This will improve the homebuilding industry in Texas," says Representative Allan Bitter, who sponsored the law. "It will lead to consistent code enforcement, higher quality construction and less confusion in the construction process."

A $16 billion repair bill from Hurricane Andrew--followed by years of negotiation--led the Florida Legislature to adopt the Statewide Unified Building Code last year.

"This is the toughest building code in the country," says Paul Rodriguez, chairman of the state building commission. "It is only appropriate that the state most vulnerable to hurricanes takes the boldest step to make our homes less susceptible to the damage caused by high winds."

The law set a statewide minimum standard for new construction and replaced 450 local codes. But getting it passed wasn't easy.

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