Building Science Resource Library
The Building Science Resource Library contains all of FEMA’s hazard-specific guidance that focuses on creating hazard-resistant communities.
You can search for a document by its title, or filter the collection to browse by:
- Topic: High winds, flood, earthquake, etc.
- Document Type: Brochure, report, fact sheet, infographic, etc.
- Audience: Building professionals & engineers, individuals & homeowners, teachers & kids, etc.
Homeowners, business owners, design professionals and builders in wildfire-prone regions can benefit from understanding general fire resistance characteristics of common construction materials and building products. This Recovery Advisory aims to provide a list of materials that can withstand higher exposure and help slow the spread of fire, but it is important to remember that fire-resistant does not mean fire-proof.
This Recovery Advisory, focused on one- and two-family dwellings, presents important fire safety recommendations for design professionals, including architects, engineers, installation professionals and contractors to reduce the likelihood of ignition and structure-to-structure fire spread in single family homes during a wildfire, where building setbacks and defensible space may be limited.
Defensible space is an area with limited combustibles surrounding your home that helps to reduce the chance that your home will catch fire during a wildfire event. Defensible space is up to 100 feet from your home and slows or stops the progression of wildfire. Defensible space, coupled with structural hardening, is critical to increasing your home’s likelihood of surviving a wildfire.
FEMA has created this activity sheet intended to inform and engage children about building codes.
FEMA has created this activity sheet intended to inform and engage children about building codes.
FEMA has created this activity sheet intended to inform and engage children about building codes.
FEMA Building Codes Winter Activity Thumbnail
This guide provides essential financial preparedness advice for homeowners in earthquake-prone areas. It covers the potential financial impacts of an earthquake. The guide outlines various financial tools homeowners can use for recovery, such as savings, insurance, loans, and disaster assistance, and emphasizes the importance of earthquake insurance and maintaining financial resilience before a disaster strikes.
This guide provides essential financial preparedness advice for renters in earthquake-prone areas. It covers the potential financial impacts of an earthquake. The guide outlines various financial tools renters can use for recovery, such as savings, insurance, loans, and disaster assistance, and emphasizes the importance of earthquake insurance and maintaining financial resilience before a disaster strikes.
This guide presents a plain-language overview of design and construction provisions important to the earthquake performance of one- and two-family detached dwellings and townhouses (referred to as dwellings and townhouses in this guide) constructed under the International Residential Code (IRC) (ICC, 2024a). The primary intended audiences for this guide are homebuilders, tradespeople working in the home building industry, and building department plan checkers and inspectors. Secondary audiences include architects, engineers, and homeowners with construction knowledge.