What do Building Codes and Performance Standards mean to you?
December 7th, 2010
Building codes are performance requirements for building construction—including roofs—that are established and enforced by state or local government agencies to ensure public safety, health and welfare in commercial and industrial buildings. Individual state and federal government agencies generally adopt their own codes; however, most adopt model building codes that are developed and maintained by one of the model code groups. Building codes are the law and compliance with them is mandatory not optional.
Performance standards prescribe levels of acceptability or approved modes to be used in building construction -including roofs – as bases of comparison. Test standards prescribe test methods and, sometimes, minimum acceptable results. Rating standards establish measurement methods to ensure similar products can be compared on the same bases. Design standards are minimum criteria that are applied to particular aspects of building and/or roof system design. The standards organizations that maintain standards affecting the roofing industry include American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), Factory Mutual Research (FMR) and Underwriters Laboratories (UL). Performance standards help assure you that what you are purchasing conforms to an acceptable pre-established standard of performance for your application. They are not the law but can in some situations have a dramatic affect upon insurability and insurance rates.
By kacey
Posted in: Insurance Companies, Roof Inspection, Roofing Specifications
