February 21, 2005—Building departments and the public they serve will benefit from a new accreditation program offered by the International Accreditation Service (IAS). An IAS team of independent evaluators will evaluate all aspects of a building department’s services to determine if the codes the community has adopted are being effectively enforced to provide public safety and protect property.
When a building department earns IAS accreditation, it means the department operates under the highest professional and technical standards.
The Insurance Services Office, Inc. (ISO), an organization that provides information on risk assessment of communities to insurance companies, has signed a memorandum of understanding that supports the IAS Building Department Accreditation Program. The quality of a community’s building department is a major factor used by insurers to assign premiums.
The International Accreditation Service, a subsidiary of the International Code Council, assesses and accredits competent building departments, testing and calibration laboratories, inspection agencies and fabricator inspection programs. In operation since 1975, IAS is one of the oldest accreditation bodies of its type and is a nonprofit, public benefit corporation recognized worldwide.
To learn more about earning third-party recognition through the IAS Building Department Accreditation Program, visit the IAS Web site.
