ISO's Building Code Effectiveness Grading Schedule (BCEGS)
The Insurance Services Office (ISO) is a leading source of
information about risk. They supply data, analytics, and
decision-support services for professionals in many fields,
including insurance, finance, real estate, health services,
government, and human resources. Their products and services help
customers measure, manage, and reduce risk.
The Building Code Effectiveness Grading Schedule (BCEGS) assesses
the building codes in effect in a particular community and how the
community enforces its building codes, with special emphasis on
mitigation of losses from natural hazards.
The concept is simple: municipalities with well-enforced,
up-to-date codes should demonstrate better loss experience, and
insurance rates can reflect that.
The prospect of lessening catastrophe-related damage and
ultimately lowering insurance costs provides an incentive for
communities to enforce their building codes rigorously especially as
they relate to windstorm damage.
The anticipated upshot: safer buildings, less damage, and lower
insured losses from catastrophes.
The BCEGS program assigns each municipality a BCEGS grade of 1
(exemplary commitment to building-code enforcement) to 10. ISO
develops advisory rating credits that apply to ranges of BCEGS
classifications (1-3, 4-7, 8-9, 10). A grade of 98 is given if a
community refuses to participate in BCEGS. ISO gives insurers BCEGS
classifications, BCEGS advisory credits, and related underwriting
information.
Follow the links for frequently asked questions about BCEGS:
BCEGS Questionnaire
If your community has not yet received a BCEGS grading or if
you've recently made improvements in your building code enforcement
services you may be eligible for a BCEGS survey. During that survey,
an ISO field representative will use the BCEGS Questionnaire to
assist in the evaluation of your community's resources for code
enforcement. ISO will use the information for the purpose of
establishing your community's BCEGS grading. If you'd like ISO to
consider your city, town, or jurisdiction for a BCEGS survey, contact
ISO ISO mitigation.
If ISO has already scheduled your community for a survey, you can
expedite the process by answering the questions in the BCEGS
Questionnaire in advance of the ISO field representative's visit.
Download the
BCEGS
Questionnaire
in Microsoft Word format, and complete or print it with your own
Word software. You can also download just the
Employee Data Sheet, which you need to submit for each building
code enforcement employee. Or contact
ISO mitigation
to request a copy of the BCEGS Questionnaire.
The ISO has compiled a
list of communities with the highest grades and those that have
refused to participate.