Steady population growth and the accompanying rise in urban density increases the risk to human life and damage to property caused by natural disasters. In 2017, the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) estimated the annual cost of earthquake damage in the United States was US$6.1 billion.

Building codes are not retroactive, which means that buildings need only comply with the codes that were in effect at the time of their design and construction. The retrofitting of existing structures and the enforcement of building standards is the biggest challenge for local and federal governments in North America.

Earthquakes have posed a major threat to infrastructure. Damage caused by earthquakes has led to the development and evolution of building codes designed to withstand or minimize damage to buildings. This is known as seismic design, and takes into consideration the magnitude and frequency of earthquakes in a particular region.

However, as building codes are often implemented for new buildings designed after an event occurs and do not apply to existing buildings, building code updates can feel like too little, too late.

Modern building standards in Canada and the U.S. are issued by the National Research Council Canada (NRC) and the American Society of Civil Engineers, respectively. They prescribe detailed guidelines for the assessment, design and construction of resilient infrastructure, reflecting the most recent know-how on engineering seismology and design practice.

In 1906, an earthquake struck San Francisco causing 3,000 deaths and US$10.5 billion in damage. This event motivated research on earthquakes in the U.S., and set the ground for the introduction of the Uniform Building Code in 1927, but these guidelines were not mandatory.

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