Proclamation Declaring May as Building Safety Month

To help raise awareness of building safety, Building Safety Month is a public safety awareness campaign to help individuals, families and businesses understand what it takes to create safe, resilient, affordable and energy efficient homes and buildings.

Building safety and fire prevention experts inspect buildings and review construction plans to ensure code compliance they help to ensure the places where you live, learn, work, worship and play are safe.The City works closely with home builders, contractors, plumbers, roofers and other construction industry trades to provide maximum public safety.

Each year, presidential, gubernatorial and municipal proclamations are approved to bring attention to Building Safety Month. This year’s theme is Building Codes: Driving Growth through Innovation, Resilience and Safety. Weekly themes during Building Safety Month are: May 2-8, Building Solutions for All Ages; May 9-15, The Science Behind the Codes; May 16-22, Learn from the Past, Build for Tomorrow; and May 23-29, Building Codes: A Smart Investment.

Homes and buildings that are built in compliance with building safety codes result in resilient structures that minimize the risks of death, injury and property damage. Regardless of the department code officials work in—building, fire, planning or  elsewhere—they work hard every day to provide public safety by ensuring buildings are constructed safely. Because resilient structures minimize the risk of property damage, property owners may pay lower insurance costs and millions of taxpayer dollars can be saved when rebuilding from natural disasters.

Based on building science, technical knowledge and past experiences, model building codes provide protection from human made and natural disasters, guarding public health and reducing property losses. The codes address all aspects of construction, from structural to fire prevention, plumbing and mechanical systems, and energy efficiency.

The International Code Council, a U.S. based membership association, created Building Safety Month as a public service to promote safety in the built environment. Code Council members develop the family of International Codes and standards used in the design, build and compliance process to construct safe, sustainable, affordable and resilient structures. Most U.S. communities use the Council’s codes.