Somerset County has hired a third-party building code inspection agency, setting up the county as a "go-between" linking the ...

Construction regulations have evolved through a rigorous process guided by professional expertise. But safety and housing affordability shouldn’t be seen as competing goals.

In the wake of Hurricane Helene, two feet of rain fell on western North Carolina, damaging or sweeping away thousands of houses in landslides and floods. At least 101 people died. In many cases, ...