The Building Code Effectiveness Grading Schedule in Florida is a rating system that assigns every participating local building department a grade from 1 to 10 based on how strictly it adopts and enforces building codes. Verisk, formerly ISO, runs the program, and insurers use the resulting grade to adjust property insurance premiums on new construction. A 1 is the strongest grade; a 10 is the weakest participating grade; and Florida alone has a Class 98 for departments that refuse to participate at all.
Because Florida sits in the path of recurring hurricanes, the grade carries real money behind it. Homeowners building new, builders pricing out projects, and commercial owners insuring new structures all feel the effect through their premiums.
How the Grade Is Assigned
Verisk evaluates each local building department against uniform criteria drawn from standards developed by the International Code Council, the National Fire Protection Association, and the American Society of Civil Engineers.1ISO. Frequently Asked Questions: ISO’s Building Code Effectiveness Grading Schedule (BCEGS) A grade of 1 signals “exemplary commitment to building code enforcement.” A grade of 10 means the department shows the least effective enforcement.2International Code Council. National Assessment, State-by-State Evaluation of Building Codes Released
Each community receives two separate grades, one for residential construction and one for commercial. The two can differ, so a Florida community might enforce residential rules well while lagging on the commercial side, or vice versa. Verisk aims to reassess each community roughly every five years, with more frequent reviews possible in areas prone to natural disasters.
What Verisk Looks At
The assessment covers three broad areas: administration, plan review, and field inspection.2International Code Council. National Assessment, State-by-State Evaluation of Building Codes Released Within those areas, Verisk considers the edition of the code being enforced, any local amendments, staff certification and training, workloads, plan review methods, and inspection procedures.1ISO. Frequently Asked Questions: ISO’s Building Code Effectiveness Grading Schedule (BCEGS)
Communities running on the latest International Codes with well-staffed, well-trained departments score noticeably better than those enforcing older code editions with thin staffing. Florida Administrative Code Rule 61G19-6 requires building officials, inspectors, and plan reviewers to complete continuing education, and departments whose staff keep their credentials current earn more points in the assessment.
Technology matters too. Departments using digital permitting and electronic plan review demonstrate the kind of operational discipline Verisk credits. On the plan review side, Florida law requires construction documents to be prepared and submitted by licensed architects and engineers before permit approval, and how thoroughly a department enforces that pre-construction review feeds directly into the grade.
Class 98: The Florida-Only Penalty
Florida has a classification that exists nowhere else: BCEGS Class 98. It applies exclusively to Florida building departments that decline to take part in the BCEGS program. Properties inside the boundaries of a Class 98 department face a 1 percent insurance surcharge under Florida law.3Verisk. BCEGS Classification That’s a worse outcome than a grade of 10, which at least reflects a department that submitted to the evaluation. Opting out carries a cost that lands directly on property owners.
How the Grade Affects Property Insurance
Insurers use BCEGS classifications when setting premiums for new construction. Buildings in communities graded 1 through 3 get the highest premium credits. Grades 4 through 9 receive intermediate credits. A grade of 10 earns no credit.3Verisk. BCEGS Classification
One detail trips up many homeowners: BCEGS grades and the related insurance credits apply only to buildings constructed in the year the community received its classification or later. Existing structures built before the classification don’t get the BCEGS credit. The program’s benefit flows to newer buildings that actually went through the enforcement processes BCEGS measures.
If your home predates the classification, you aren’t shut out of all discounts. Florida law requires residential property insurers to include actuarially reasonable discounts for homes with wind-resistant features. Under Section 627.0629 of the Florida Statutes, rate filings must reflect credits for construction techniques that improve roof strength, opening protection, roof-to-wall connections, and similar features.4Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 627.0629 – Residential Property Insurance Rate Filings The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation oversees those filings.5Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. Premium Discounts for Hurricane Loss Mitigation You pursue these discounts by hiring a licensed inspector to evaluate your home using the official Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form, then giving the completed form to your insurance agent to process the discount. The process is separate from the community-wide BCEGS evaluation and worth pursuing even if your community’s grade is mediocre.
The grade can also affect whether private carriers will write policies in your area at all. Communities with poor enforcement records sometimes see insurers pull back, leaving homeowners to seek coverage through Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, the state-backed insurer of last resort the Florida Legislature created in 2002.6Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. Who We Are Because mortgage lenders require adequate insurance, carrier scarcity in a weakly graded community can drag on property values and complicate loans.
How the Grade Affects Flood Insurance
BCEGS also feeds into FEMA’s Community Rating System (CRS), which rewards communities that exceed minimum National Flood Insurance Program requirements by giving residents flood insurance discounts. The BCEGS classification translates into CRS credit points:
- BCEGS 5/5: 10 CRS credit points
- BCEGS 4/4: 20 CRS credit points
- BCEGS 3/3: 30 CRS credit points
- BCEGS 2/2: 40 CRS credit points
- BCEGS 1/1: 50 CRS credit points
A community must hold BCEGS grades of 5/5 or better on both residential and commercial construction just to qualify as a CRS Class 6 or better community.7FEMA. CRS Coordinator’s Manual (2017 Edition) The CRS class then sets the flood insurance discount residents receive:
- CRS Class 6: 20% flood premium discount
- CRS Class 5: 25% discount
- CRS Class 4: 30% discount
- CRS Class 3: 35% discount
- CRS Class 2: 40% discount
- CRS Class 1: 45% discount
A non-participating community (CRS Class 10) receives no discount.8FEMA. Community Rating System Discount Guide For Florida homeowners carrying NFIP policies in flood-prone areas, the gap between a CRS Class 6 community and a non-participating one can run hundreds of dollars a year.
Why Florida Scores Well
The Florida Building Code (FBC) is established under Chapter 553 of the Florida Statutes.9Justia. Florida Code 553 – Building Construction Standards The Florida Building Commission updates it on a three-year cycle using the International Codes and the National Electric Code as its foundation.10Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 553.73 – Florida Building Code Local governments enforce the FBC through building departments staffed with certified inspectors, plan reviewers, and building code administrators licensed under Chapter 468, Part XII.11MyFloridaLicense.com. Building Code Administrators and Inspectors – Statutes and Rules Local governments may adopt rules stricter than the statewide code where local conditions call for it, but they cannot weaken the FBC baseline.12Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 553.80 – Enforcement
The 9th Edition of the FBC, based on the 2024 International Codes, is scheduled to take effect December 31, 2026. Because BCEGS weighs which edition a jurisdiction has adopted, Florida communities that stay current with these updates position themselves for stronger grades. The Commission also uses post-storm data to refine the code; after Hurricanes Helene and Milton in fall 2024, it authorized the University of Florida to conduct a formal building damage assessment to identify where improvements were needed.13Florida Building Commission. Annual Report FY 2024-2025
Finding Your Community’s Grade
Verisk does not publish a public searchable database of BCEGS classifications. To find your community’s current grade, contact Verisk’s mitigation team at BCEGS_info@verisk.com or call 1-800-444-4554 (option 2).14Verisk. Building Code Effectiveness Grading Schedule (BCEGS) Your local building department should also know its classification and can tell you when the last assessment occurred. If your community has made real improvements since its last review, ask your building official to request a reassessment from Verisk. An improved grade benefits every new construction project in the jurisdiction.