Credentials for building departments may help lower insurance costs

Building departments and the public they serve will benefit from a new accreditation program offered by the International Accreditation Service (IAS). An IAS team of independent evaluators will evaluate all aspects of a building department’s services to determine if the codes the community has adopted are being effectively enforced to provide public safety and protect property.

"IAS accreditation provides building departments a tool to document strengths, identify areas in need of improvement and implement solutions that result in safer communities and happier citizens," said James Lee Witt, CEO, International Code Council, a member association that includes state, county and municipal code enforcement and fire officials.

When a building department earns IAS accreditation, it means the department operates under the highest professional and technical standards.

IAS accreditation is not just good PR. It may also help with the bottom line when it comes to insurance costs.

The Insurance Services Office, Inc. (ISO), an organization that provides information on risk assessment of communities to insurance companies, has signed a memorandum of understanding that supports the IAS Building Department Accreditation Program. The quality of a community’s building department is a major factor used by insurers to assign premiums.

"The new IAS accreditation program, and its endorsement by ISO, is a positive step for jurisdictions that are working hard to improve public safety," said IAS President Chuck Ramani. "A community with a building department that earns IAS accreditation is much more likely to be a safer place to live, with lower insurance rates."

The International Accreditation Service, a subsidiary of the International Code Council, assesses and accredits competent building departments, testing and calibration laboratories, inspection agencies and fabricator inspection programs. In operation since 1975, IAS is one of the oldest accreditation bodies of its type and is a nonprofit, public benefit corporation recognized worldwide.

(To learn more about earning third-party recognition through the IAS Building Department Accreditation Program, visit www.iasonline.org, call 866/427-4422, or e-mail info@iasonline.org.)