Codes and Listings

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the International Code Council (ICC) are two names you should know when researching safe room requirements. Each provide similar, but distinct guidelines for safe rooms.

Safe room criteria in FEMA P-361 meets the requirements of the ICC-500, however, there are a few design and performance criteria in P-361 which 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.