The City of Norman has received an impressive Building Code Effectiveness Grading Schedule (BCEGS) rating, leading the way in one of the best municipal classifications in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area.
BCEGS is a comprehensive evaluation system developed by the Insurance Service Office (ISO) to assess the effectiveness of a City’s building codes and enforcement procedures. The grading system measures how well a city’s building codes and related practices contribute to mitigating damage from natural disasters such as storms and earthquakes.
“On a scale of 1-10, with ‘1’ being the best possible rating, the City of Norman achieved a ‘4’ in the categories of Commercial Buildings, 1-Family Dwellings, and 2-Family Dwellings,” said Brenda Wolf, Manager of Operations for the City of Norman’s Planning Department. “As a City committed to advancing infrastructure and public safety, our team understands the value of BCEGS in promoting effective building code practices, and worked diligently to report the 1,243 data points required to submit this report.”
Wolf worked alongside Greg Clark, City of Norman Building Official, to submit data points and relevant documentation for scoring last summer. Every 4-5 years, the BCEGS program assesses a community’s building code enforcement in three areas: Code administration, plan review, field inspection.
“A BCEGS rating reflects a City’s robust code enforcement and commitment to minimizing risks, which can result in reduced insurance premiums and increased safety for residents,” Clark said. “In Oklahoma, we understand the average class rating to be a ‘5’ for commercial buildings and a ‘6’ for 1-and-2 family dwellings, so we are incredibly proud of this achievement and will continue working to ensure high level protections are in place for those who work and live in Norman.”
In addition to adopting new, updated building codes, rigorous staff training and certifications obtained across the Planning Department has allowed for detailed plan review and inspections at the City of Norman, which aided in achieving the ‘4’ rating.
Learn more about the Department of Planning & Community Development at Normanok.gov/your-government/departments/planning-and-community-development
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