The Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety hasreleased an update to its Rating the States report, which looks atbuilding codes of the hurricane-prone states from Texas toMaine.

“This update provides each state a useful analysis of theirlatest building code activities and what steps they can take tobetter protect their communities. It also gives interested citizensuseful information so that they can understand the need for, anddemand, better building codes,” says Julie Rochman, IBHS presidentand CEO.

IBHS plans to release a new report in 2015, so thenonprofit research organization is billing this report as “midtermupdate.”

Have states made progress with building code activity sinceIBHS' original report was released in January 2012? Then, IBHSassigned each of the 18 states studied a score on a 100-point scale. This report assesses the states onwhether they have taken positive action, negative action or noaction.

Friday we reported on the Gulf States. Today we look at the SoutheastAtlantic Coast. Tuesday we'll head north to post the progress, orlack thereof, of the next seven states up to Maine. Click ahead tosee more….

GEORGIA

POSITIVE ACTION

Georgia is in the process of adopting the 2012 editions of theInternational Code Council. The Peachtree State scored a 66 inIBHS' original report but its adoption of these updated codes willmake up for the fact Georgia was still using 2006 editions of theICC code, having bypassed the 2009 updates.

(AP Photo/Stephen Morton)

SOUTH CAROLINA

POSITIVE ACTION

Like its southern neighbor Georgia, South Carolina adopted the2012 editions of the ICC code with some state-specific adjustments.The state scored an 84 in the original Rating the States report anddid nothing since to hurt its outlook.

NORTH CAROLINA

NEGATIVE ACTION

IBHS is concerned legislation passed in the Tar Heel State willslow building code progress down. The law says the state will adoptICC updates every six years. It used to be every three years. Thelegislation also limits inspections by local jurisdictions and thestate building code council proposed the elimination of permanentanchors in construction. For a state that scored and 81 in theoriginal IBHS report, the organization now says the outcome of thislegislation is “a substantially weakened system of code adoptionand enforcement.”

(AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

VIRGINIA

POSITIVE ACTION

Like Florida, Virginia remains an IBHS favorite. It tied Floridawith a score of 95 in the IBHS original report in January 2012 andis in the process of adopting 2012 ICC codes. The projected startdate for the codes is August 2014.

MARYLAND

POSITIVE ACTION

IBHS loves that the state prohibited local jurisdictions fromremoving residential sprinkler requirements in the state code. Manystates have opted out of this requirement or allowed localjurisdictions to have the final say. But the state witharguable the best flag in the U.S. “is a leader in protectingresidents, first responders and the building stock,” IBHS says.Maryland adopted the 2012 ICC updates.

DELAWARE

NO ACTION

Delaware scored a not-so-hot 17 in the original report and inits update, IBHS says The First State has made “no progress towardadoption of a statewide code since the original report'spublication.”