Executive Order 13717 Establishing a Federal Earthquake Risk Management Standard addresses seismic safety for all new or existing buildings that are owned or leased by the Federal agencies, in the United States (US) and its territories and possessions. It addresses seismic safety considerations for Federal programs that assist in the financing of newly constructed buildings through Federal grants or loans, loan guarantees, or mortgage insurance; or regulate the construction of new buildings, within the US, its territories, and possessions. The EO also outlines agency responsibilities for achieving these seismic safety measures, and specifies timelines for implementing those measures.
This order applies to all Federal agencies that are responsible for:
- Designing and constructing new Federally-owned buildings;
- Owning existing Federal buildings, including activities to alter or maintain those buildings;
- Leasing all or portions of buildings for Federal use,
- Assisting in the financing, through grants or loans, or guaranteeing the financing through loan or mortgage insurance of newly constructed buildings; and,
- Regulating structural safety of new buildings.
EO 13717 charges the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), on behalf of the Interagency Committee on Seismic Safety in Construction (ICSSC), with issuing guidelines for implementing the EO.
For additional information, see the National Archives and Records Administration
