Building Codes Save: Fire Hazards Pilot Study

This pilot study evaluates the financial and life safety benefits of adopting modern building codes for fire hazards in single-family residential structures in California and Colorado. It quantifies avoided losses from structure fires and wildfires by comparing pre-modern and post-modern code eras, using data from 2000, 2008, and 2014 code adoptions. The study highlights the impact of code provisions such as fire-rated assemblies, smoke alarms, and fire-resistant exterior materials, showing billions of dollars in savings and reductions in fatalities and injuries. The analysis is limited to building code measures and does not include non-code interventions like defensible space.