The Urbandale City Council recently approved new building codes that will go into effect on Monday, Oct. 5. With the new codes, residents of the western suburb can expect the continued construction of safe buildings, continuation of lower insurance rates on newly constructed buildings, and reduced economic and social disruption caused by catastrophes, the city said in news release. 

The Insurance Services Office uses a Building Code Effectiveness Grading Schedule to classify Urbandale properties on a 1-to-10 scale; 1 being the best, 10 the lowest. Urbandale previously received a classification of 4 for both residential and commercial properties; the rating has been upgraded to 3 for both commercial and residential properties. The change is based on the city’s administration of codes, review of building plans, and field inspections.

The new codes recently approved and adopted by the City Council include the 2018 International Residential Code, International Building Code, International Existing Building Code and the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code ordinances; the Fire Code ordinance; the Electrical Code ordinance; the Mechanical Code Regulations ordinance; and the Plumbing Code Regulations ordinance.