NAHB Supports Bipartisan Building Codes Legislation

Legislative
Published
Contact: Heather Voorman
[email protected]
AVP, Government Affairs
(202) 266-8425

NAHB today commended Reps. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) and Donald Norcross (D-N.J.) for introducing the Promoting Resilient Buildings Act (H.R. 5473), a bipartisan bill that will help jurisdictions preserve local control over the building code adoption process while also encouraging communities to take positive steps to withstand and recover from extreme events.

“NAHB supports a comprehensive approach to addressing natural disasters through initiatives focused on implementing cost-effective solutions that encourage greater resiliency in the nation’s housing stock while preserving housing affordability,” said NAHB Chairman Alicia Huey. “This legislation does just that by addressing an issue that has become a serious concern for local governments and home builders across the country.”

In 2018, the Disaster Recovery Reform Act’s pre-disaster hazard mitigation program defined “latest published editions” of building codes to include the latest two published editions of relevant codes, specifications and standards. This definition sunsets in October 2023, but H.R. 5473 would remove the sunset, permanently codifying the current definition of “latest published editions” for the pre-disaster hazard mitigation program.

Without a definition of “latest published editions” for this program, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will only consider whether a jurisdiction has adopted the very latest editions of building codes. This will put jurisdictions in a difficult position, pressuring the adoption of the very latest building codes without a thorough vetting and amendment process, resulting in costly code changes that do not contribute to meaningful safety and resiliency improvements.

“With the nation experiencing a housing affordability crisis, now is not the time to add more uncertainty and unnecessary costs to the home building process,” said Huey. “We urge the swift passage of H.R. 5473 to encourage American communities to take the necessary steps to become more resilient while also protecting important building code flexibilities at the state and local levels.”

Subscribe to NAHBNow

Log in or create account to subscribe to notifications of new posts.

Log in to subscribe

Latest from NAHBNow

Trends

Oct 29, 2025

Do Consumers Want Two-Story Foyers?

Nearly a quarter of new homes were built with a two-story foyer in 2024 — a number that has been trending downward over the past eight years. Though the national decline continued, regional patterns were mixed. See where this feature is hot — and where it's not.

Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) | Education

Oct 29, 2025

How to Market to and Design for the Aging-in-Place Client

NAHB will host three webinars (open to members and non-members) in November to teach the technical, business management, and customer service skills necessary to complete modifications for aging-in-place.

View all

Latest Economic News

Economics

Oct 29, 2025

The Fed Cuts amid Partly Cloudy Conditions

With the government shutdown limiting the quantity of economic data available to markets and policymakers, the central bank’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) enacted a widely anticipated 25 basis point cut for the short-term federal funds rate.

Economics

Oct 28, 2025

Home Price Growth Slows

Home prices in August grew at the lowest annual rate in over two years, according to the recent release of the S&P Cotality Case-Shiller Home Price Index (seasonally adjusted – SA).

Economics

Oct 27, 2025

Two-Story Foyer Trend Stabilizes in 2024

In 2024, nearly a quarter of new homes were built with a two-story foyer, virtually unchanged from 2023, according to data obtained from the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC) and tabulated by NAHB.