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The Demopolis Building Department has made a big improvement in its Building Code Effectiveness Grading Classification (BCEGC).

According to Julius Rembert, Building Official, the City was notified this week by Insurance Services Office, Inc. (ISO) that the City’s classification had changed from 9 to 4. 

“In 2015, our rating was 9.  That meant that out of a possible 100 points, we earned 13.55 points in the category of commercial & industrial property, and 11.98 points for 1- and 2 -family residential property,” Rembert said.

“Currently, we have risen to 69.48 points in commercial, and 67.72 in residential, which has resulted in the rating change to 4 in both categories.  We surpassed the Alabama state averages which are 6.”

“While completing the 28 page questionnaire and gathering the requested documentation for the report, I gained a deeper understanding of the importance of maintaining modern Building Codes for houses and businesses, which result in better performance when natural disasters strike.  We gained points due to the Mayor and City Council’s support in updating our 2006 Building Codes to 2015 & 2017,” Rembert added.

“The improvement we have seen in our Building Department ISO rating is due to the professionalism and dedication of our Building Official, Julius Rembert.  The City is fortunate to have someone of his caliber as part of the team,” Demopolis Mayor John Laney said.    

Every five years, ISO collects information from communities nationwide, on Fire Department effectiveness, as well as the adoption and enforcement of Building Codes.  The three areas that are reviewed in the Building Department are: Administration of Codes, Plan Review, and Field Inspections.  ISO analyzes the data using their Building Code Effectiveness Grading Schedule, then assigns a BCEGS classification number to the community.  The classification numbers range from 1 to 10.  The lower the number, the better.  Insurance companies may use these classifications as a basis for providing insurance policy credits.