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Codes and Listings

Two names you need to know when looking at safe room information are the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the International Code Council (ICC). Each provide similar, but distinct guidelines for safe rooms.

All safe room criteria in FEMA P-361 meets the requirements of the ICC-500, however, P-361 includes a few design and performance criteria that are more conservative than those in ICC-500.

The 2015 update to the International Building Code (IBC) states that any state or locality that is in an area with an increased risk of tornadoes and wants to build a new school may have to incorporate tornado-safe rooms into their buildings.

You can also get Federal funding for your school to help offset the cost of safe rooms built to FEMA Safe Room guidelines.

Read more about building codes, listing and project requirements here.

To learn more about storm shelter requirements, download our ebook here.