“Preserving and protecting the lives and property of our community.”

While this mission statement is simple and direct, it encompasses a complex and broad history of building code development and enforcement.

The earliest known building standard is attributed to the ancient Babylonian Empire of Hammurabi around 1800 B.C. Hammurabi’s Code of Laws is a list of 282 laws mandated by the King. Engraved on a stone monument in cuneiform writing, Laws 228 – 233 specifically address the construction of buildings and the penalties if not done correctly. New Hanover County’s Building Code is mandated by the State of North Carolina and administered through the Engineering Division of the NC Department of Insurance. It is the same code that is used throughout the state. In NC, as in every area of the world, codes continually evolve in response to changes in materials, technologies and methods of construction. Principally, tragic and disastrous events influence changes to building codes. Such events that have influenced building code requirements in NC include hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, and fire. Significant man-made events that have recently influenced changes to the building codes in NC include polybutylene piping, fire retardant plywood sheathing, and exterior insulation finishing systems (EIFS).