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Stronger Buildings, Safer Communities: May is Building Safety Month
Building Safety Month is an international celebration that takes place in May to raise awareness about building safety. 2025 marks the 45th year of Building Safety Month!
The goal is to help educate individuals, families and businesses on what it takes to create safe and sustainable structures, reinforce the need for the adoption of modern, regularly updated building codes and highlight the well-trained professionals who work year-round to ensure our safety.
We are celebrating building professionals this May by raising awareness about what it takes to create safe and sustainable structures for our community.
Week 1: The Warm Up
Welcome to Week 1, Opening Day of Building Safety Month 2025! As part of our "Game On!" theme, we’re kicking things off by covering the basics of building safety and sharing a bit about Building Safety Month. Building safety is a team effort, and this month we’re giving you the playbook to help keep the places where we live, work and play safe!
What is Building Safety?
Elements of building safety can be found all around us. On an individual level, building safety can include installing smoke alarms in your house or giving portable heaters at least three feet of space. On a community level, building safety can include adopting modern building codes or enacting sustainability initiatives.
Remember, hitting a building safety homerun is only possible when we all do our part!
- All communities need building codes to protect their citizens from hazards like fires, weather-related events and structural collapse.
- Building codes are society's best way of protecting homes, offices, schools, manufacturing facilities, stores and entertainment venues.
- Building safety professionals workday in and day out to keep the public safe.
Week 2: Build Your Offense
We all contribute to making sure the places where we live, work and play are safe for not only ourselves, but our family and neighbors, too. Be the change you'd like to see in your community by speaking up about building safety.
Championing Building Safety
Modern, up-to-date buildings codes are crucial in preventing disasters such as structural collapse or fires and mitigating the potential damage caused by events such as hurricanes or floods. Share the importance of adopting modern building codes and standards with public officials to help make our communities safer.
Recruiting the Next Generation
Kids learn the basics of building safety from an early age – without even knowing it! Take a look at the resources on the Kids Corner page to help parents, teachers and community leaders teach kids what building safety professionals do, and how they make our homes and communities safer for everyone.
Week 3: Build Your Defense
The best defense is a good offense! Week 3 of Building Safety Month 2025 focuses on how building safety impacts our everyday lives and highlights the things we can do at home to stay safe.
Fire, Water and Electrical Safety
Modern homes and buildings incorporate the latest building codes and are designed to minimize the possibility and effects of fire and other risks. While building safety professionals help maintain these systems, there are preventative tasks that all contribute to occupant health, occupant safety and security and overall sustainability.
- Develop and practice a fire escape plan. Keep hallways clear of obstructions, do not block or obstruct emergency escape windows and exit doors.
- Put a smoke alarm on every level of your home, outside each sleeping area and inside every bedroom. Test each smoke alarm regularly and keep batteries fresh by replacing them annually.
- Never overload electrical cords or power strips, and don’t use appliances that have damaged cords.
- Make sure all pedestrian gates in the barrier fence for your pool are self-closing and self-latching. Other gates should be equipped with a locking device and should be locked.
- Keep all items that can burn away from your home, clean leaves from your gutters and clear dead leaves and branches from shrubs and trees.
Disaster Preparedness
Just like scouting an opposing team before the big game, it's an individual, family and community responsibility to know which disasters you're at an increased risk for, and how to mitigate those risks by leveraging tips and building codes specific to each disaster.
Remember, keep it simple:
- Establish a “safety destination” (like a friend’s or relative’s house some distance away) and plan several different routes to get there so you can drive around roadblocks or hazards. Practice your plan and become familiar with each route so you will be better prepared.
- Whether you are preparing for an earthquake, tornado, hurricane, flood or wildfire, make sure you have an emergency kit on hand with basic necessities. Place all items in a sturdy, closed container outside your home where it can be easily located. Restock food and water twice a year.
- Long before storm season approaches, prepare your house to withstand the effects of a natural disaster. Mitigation can keep natural hazards, like flooding and hurricanes, from having catastrophic impacts.
- You may need to turn off your gas, water and electricity before you evacuate. Each member of the household should learn when and how to do this.
Sustainability at Home
The Code Council is helping our communities forge a path forward on energy and sustainability to address the impacts of a changing climate. Every proactive step we take at home makes a big difference in decreasing our footprint and burden on the system. Here are some tips to conserve energy, water and more!
- Install water-saving shower heads and low-flow faucet aerators and use your water meter to check for hidden water leaks.
- Never dump anything down storm drains.
- Change the filters in the heating and cooling system of your home regularly.
- Replace your light bulbs with LEDs, which use up to 90 percent less energy and last up to 25 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs.
- Design your home with materials that are easily recyclable, reusable, renewable, durable, affordable and low maintenance.
- Build a rain garden to capture roof drainage and divert it to your garden or landscaping. Be sure to check your local rules on rainwater harvesting prior to installation.
Week 4: The Starting Lineup
Building Safety Professionals
Building safety professionals are the silent defenders of public safety. They provide guidance and advice to architects, engineers and contractors to help them bring building projects to life while ensuring safety for occupants and residents. Building safety professionals also help keep existing buildings safe by conducting inspections and adopting the latest building codes.
- Include building inspectors, building officials, plans examiners, permit technicians, fire marshals and more.
- Train constantly to keep up with the latest codes and standards.
- Enforce code compliance to empower and educate partners to embrace and integrate safety standards in their work.
- Ensure that buildings are constructed to withstand the stress of everyday use.
- Perform safety checks that protect your home from emergencies before fire, flood or disaster strike.
- Support economic development by making our buildings sturdier, and therefore longer lasting.
- Play a significant role in community planning decision making as a connection between government, business and built environment partners.
Learn more about Kevin Ferguson – Lead Building Inspector.
When to Call a Professional
Building safety professionals are an essential piece in the building and construction puzzle and are engaged in the building process from the initial blueprint to the finished product. Always check with your local building safety department before beginning home improvement projects – requirements vary, but many building safety departments require permits for home improvement projects, including electrical, mechanical, structural or plumbing work. Follow-up inspections provide a measure of safety to protect your life and property.
Code officials bring building codes to life through:
- Site inspections
- Code interpretation support and consultations
- Renovations and rebuilding
- Building plan and permit approvals
Permitting & Facilitating Development
The City's Development Services team works with the private, public and nonprofit sectors to effectively build projects that achieve community goals.
From building or remodeling a home to displaying signs to holding special events, this page helps you find the permits and forms required for developers, property owners and businesses throughout the City.
The City’s Development Services & Permitting Center is creating a strong and vibrant Hillsboro through thoughtful planning and development.
Getting Started
Trying to figure out what permits you may need for projects can seem daunting. We are here to help!
We have staff available Monday through Friday, from 8 am to 5 pm to help answer your questions via email, phone, or in person. Appointments are not necessary, and walk-ins are always welcome.
Online: Development Services & Permitting Center
Contact us: Email our Development & Permitting Team| 503-681-6153
Visit us: Hillsboro Civic Center, 150 E Main Street on the Fourth Floor