Familiarizing yourself with Local Building Codes can save you a lot of time and money later.
Building codes are in place to protect public health, safety and general welfare as they relate to the construction and occupancy of buildings and structures. Keeping up-to-date with local building codes is vital for your company. If you don’t comply, you may be on the hook for fines and expensive tear-out and redo projects. Not to mention, your reputation will be on the line.
You also need to know the local building codes when working with insurance carriers because building code upgrades are covered by most insurance policies. However, sometimes the homeowner will not have code endorsement on their policy. Our team recommends looking at each insurance job individually and contacting the carrier to determine coverage.
Building code upgrades include, but are not limited to:
- Proper roof ventilation
- Ice and water shield along eaves
- Valley liner
- House wrap/Vapor barrier
- Overhead drip caps for all windows and doors
- Roof top insulation requirements
How to find local building codes:
- Call the building department
- Try this website: https://www.oneclickcode.com/
- Search for the city, town or village and locate a tab for their building department.
- If you know what code you are looking for, search for building code requirements or keyword roofing/siding/ice and water shield.
- Sometimes, these requirements are also listed on the permit application, so you can always start your search by looking there.
Taking the time to familiarize yourself with the local building codes in your working areas will save you time and money later – knowledge is priceless!