New Bellingham code enforcement rating could lower insurance rates

"The city for the first time has received a rating on the effectiveness of its building code enforcement, and that could help save money on new construction.

Bellingham officials announced this week that the city's building code enforcement has received a "2" rating from the Washington Surveying and Rating Bureau. The rating is used by insurance companies to assess how well a municipality does the work.

And because of that, the insurance costs on a new home or business could be reduced by as much as 10 percent, though it would be up to the insurance company to determine that."