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Building Code Documents
Browse our collection building code documents, which provide guidance on the hazard-resistant provisions in the building codes for property owners, engineers, design professionals, building codes officials, and the general public.
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Reducing the Risks of Non-Structural Earthquake Damage—A Practical Guide
FEMA E-74 | December 2012
This guide describes the sources of nonstructural earthquake damage and effective methods of reducing potential risks associated with such damage. It assists in identifying potential hazards and provides specific guidance on upgrades. This fourth edition of FEMA 74 has been redesigned for use online and expanded to include more examples that feature photos of actual damage and details illustrating correct mitigation measures.
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Seismic Building Codes Provisions
Fact Sheet | October 2020
Earthquakes are some of the most destructive and unpredictable natural phenomena, causing deaths, injuries, and extensive property damage in populated areas. As of 2015, roughly half of all Americans in the conterminous United States are exposed to potentially damaging ground shaking from earthquakes (USGS, 2015). The population exposed to seismic hazard has been steadily growing, leading to a higher potential for losses from seismic events. The estimated earthquake losses per year, known as Annualized Earthquake Losses (AEL), are calculated by FEMA to be $6.1 billion per year in the United States, and 55 metropolitan areas account for 85 percent of the AEL (FEMA, 2017). Review the map in Figure 1 to determine your community’s exposure to seismic hazard.
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Short-Period Building Collapse Series (ZIP)
FEMA P-2139 | December 2020
Recent analytical studies investigating a wide range of modern seismic-force-resisting systems have predicted collapse rates for short-period buildings that are significantly larger than those observed in earthquakes during the past 50 years. This gap between analytically predicted and historically observed collapse rates in known as the short-period building seismic performance paradox. Additionally, analytically predicted collapse rates for short-period buildings are generally larger than maximum collapse rates used in national model codes and standards to establish seismic design requirements.
The FEMA P-2139 series of reports documents a multi-year investigation of the response behavior and collapse performance of different structural systems to identify causes and develop solutions for the short-period building seismic performance paradox. Studies investigated three structural systems: wood light-frame, special reinforced masonry shear wall, and steel special concentrically braced frame systems. Volume 1 summarizes results, conclusions, and recommendations from the three-system.
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Techniques for the Seismic Rehabilitation of Existing Buildings
FEMA 547 | 2006
This publication documents common seismic rehabilitation or retrofitting techniques used for buildings represented in the set of standard building types presented in seismic publications. It includes a wide variety of techniques that have been developed and used for repair and retrofitting of earthquake-damaged and seismically deficient buildings.
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This document will help you understand the concept of Substantial Damage (SD) and how to determine if a building meets this criterion. FEMA's Public Assistance Required Minimum Standards Policy found in the Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide, Chapter 2 – Section VII.B.2, requires that projects receiving FEMA assistance for repair or replacement incorporate the natural hazards-related provisions of the most recent edition of the International Code Council's® (ICC®) International Building Code (IBC®), International Existing Building Code® (IEBC®), and/or International Residential Code® (IRC®), known collectively as the I-Codes. The Policy applies to buildings that have received designations of Substantial Structural Damage, Substantial Damage, or are eligible for replacement in accordance with 44 CFR Part 206.226(f).
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This document will help you understand how the concept of Substantial Structural Damage (SSD) is used within the International Existing Building Code® (IEBC®). FEMA's Public Assistance Required Minimum Standards Policy found in the Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide, Chapter 2 – Section VII.B.2, requires that projects receiving FEMA assistance for repair or replacement incorporate the natural hazards-related provisions of the most recent edition of the International Code Council's® (ICC®) International Building Code® (IBC®), International Residential Code® (IRC®), and/or the IEBC. The policy applies to buildings that have sustained any level of damage (including, possibly, SSD or Substantial Damage), as well as projects involving new construction, such as improved projects, alternate projects, or projects eligible for replacement in accordance with 44 CFR, Part 206.226(f). The relevant code provisions include not only the design criteria for repair or replacement construction, but also those provisions that determine whether repair to the pre-damage condition is sufficient, or whether repair must be supplemented by improvement. One of those scope-determining provisions involves the concept of SSD.