Building Development Division

OVERVIEW

Building Safety Month is a public awareness campaign to help residents, families, students, business owners, employees and visitors understand what it takes to create safe and sustainable structures and why it is so important. Every May, the month-long campaign reinforces the need for building safety, modern-day building codes, a well-trained, highly skilled workforce, and a strong and efficient system of building code enforcement.

Everyone needs building codes to protect from disasters like fires, weather, and structural collapse. Building Safety Month campaigns help to improve public safety by increasing awareness about how building codes and code officials improve and protect the places where we live, learn, work, worship, and thrive!

Please join us in creating safer homes this May and celebrating all year long on social media by using hashtag #BuildingSafety365. The 2026 weekly themes are:

Week 1: Safe Homes, Strong Communities (May 1–10) focuses on simple actions homeowners can take to improve safety at home.

Week 2: Voices of the Built Environment (May 11–17) spotlights building safety professionals and the roles they play in keeping communities safe.

Week 3: Prepared to Protect (May 18–24) encourages community preparedness and highlights how disaster-resilient building codes protect people and property.

Week 4: Communities Without Limits (May 25–31) showcases the importance of accessibility in building construction and design.

For the last 46 years, 57,000 worldwide members of the International Code Council (ICC) have celebrated advances in constructing safe, sustainable, affordable, and resilient buildings and homes. The ongoing support of Building Safety Month and the important role Building Code Officials play in public safety in the built environment comes from the President of the United States, government officials, governors, mayors, county executives and building construction industry professionals.

Further, it is also a time to celebrate and appreciate code officials and employees that work hard all year to maintain the best building safety practices and act as first preventers in mitigating disasters.

Here in Prince William County, three Departments are directly involved in the review, permitting, inspection and enforcement of the building codes that govern building development. They are: Department of Development Services / Building Development Division, Department of Public Works / Neighborhood Services Division, and the Fire Marshal’s Office.

Building Codes & Standards Associations
International Code Council (ICC) www.iccsafe.org
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) www.nfpa.org
Virginia Building and Code Officials Association (VBCOA) www.vbcoa.org
Virginia Plumbing and Mechanical Inspectors Association (VPMIA) www.vpmia.org
Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) www.dpor.virginia.gov
Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) www.dhcd.virginia.gov