The first recorded building code can be traced back to nearly 4000 years to the Code of Hammurabi. Hammurabi was the founder of the Babylonian Empire over 5,000 years ago. The Code of Hammurabi contained 282 laws inscribed on twelve stone tablets which were placed in public view.  Hammurabi’s Code was one of the earliest written codes of law in recorded history.

The portion of the Code of Hammurabi which related to buildings are laws 228 to 233. Law 229 reads “If a builder has built a house for a man and his work is not strong, and if the house he has built falls in and kills the householder, that builder shall be slain”. The Code of Hammurabi though quite harsh by today’s standards, shows that civilization has tried to bring about some control over building safety.

The first mention of Building Control Officers can be found in Plato’s laws, from 360 B.C.E. in ancient Greece. As laws pertaining to the built environment evolved, building codes were also established and evolved over thousands of years.  Modern day building codes are intended to protect the public health, safety and general welfare as they pertain to the built environment. In what may be the earliest evidence of a building code, the Bible addressed this issue directly. Deuteronomy 22:8 states: When you build a new house, make a parapet around your roof so that you may not bring the guilt of bloodshed on your house if someone falls from the roof.

The birth of the building surveyor profession as we know it today can be said to have been born from the devastating effects of the Great Fire of London on September 2nd 1666, which lasted 4 days and destroyed 80% of the city.