On Sept. 25, the City of D'Iberville posted a one-line alert at the top of its homepage. "Effective October 1, 2026, our Building Codes will change to the 2024 IBC/IRC, ICC 600, NEC 2023." There was no press conference and no explanation of why. The alert page itself says nothing more.
It reads like a notice for contractors. For buyers, it matters for two reasons. It changes how new homes inside city limits have to be built. It also meets the first of two local-code conditions the Mississippi Insurance Department has proposed for its $10,000 FORTIFIED roof grant. Two houses at the same price can end up with different roof and insurance costs depending on which side of the city limits they sit on and when they were permitted.
What the city moved away from
Last spring, the Sun Herald listed D'Iberville with Gulfport, all four Jackson County cities and all three coast counties as still enforcing the 2018 International Residential Code. The City Council passed an amended Ordinance No. 113 on Sept. 1. The vote summary describes it as amending the city's building, wind, electrical, fire, mechanical and plumbing codes.
The city's Building Department page now lists the 2024 code suite and ICC 600-2020. It calls compliance mandatory and sets wind-resistance design speeds "up to 160 miles per hour, for a three-second gust."
ICC 600 is the part that touches the roof most directly. The International Code Council describes it as a prescriptive standard for homes in high-wind regions. In practice, it adds several checks:
- Site exposure. Each site is rated B, C or D, and open-water exposure falls in category D.
- Two load cases. The whole structure is designed for one set of wind forces, and roof edges and cladding are designed for higher local loads.
- Roof uplift. The roof covering has to resist the calculated uplift. For asphalt shingles, that means high-wind ratings and cement at the eaves, rakes, valleys and gable ends.
The alert doesn't say how projects permitted before Oct. 1 are handled. The city's permit application refers to applicable codes and ordinances without naming which code edition applies to a given project. For a buyer looking at a house finished this fall, the permit date is a fair question to ask.
The grant rule that makes the code matter for resale homes
The Strengthen Mississippi Homes program is how this code change reaches homes that already exist.
The program covers up to $10,000 to bring a roof up to the FORTIFIED standard. The money goes straight to the contractor once the work is finished and certified. Any cost above the award, plus the evaluator's fee, falls to the homeowner. Condominiums, duplexes and manufactured homes aren't eligible at this time.
The state has described its eligibility rules for coastal homes in three different ways this year, and each has a different reach:
| Document | Date | What it says about the home's location |
|---|---|---|
| Senate Bill 2409, the statute | 2026 session | No local code requirement. It lets MID adjust criteria, "including building code requirements," for funds from other sources |
| SMH FAQ | September 2026 | In six coastal counties, the jurisdiction's code must "meet or exceed the FORTIFIED roof standard" |
| Proposed regulation | October 2026 | In Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties, the jurisdiction must enforce one of the two most recent IRC editions and have adopted Sections S1 through S5 of the Coastal Construction Code Supplement |
The proposed wording is narrower than state law. Under Miss. Code Ann. § 17-2-4, cities and counties may adopt any of the last three editions of the IBC or IRC. The proposed grant rule, as written, names only the two most recent IRC editions.
That regulation is still a proposal. MID is taking written comments until 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026.
Where D'Iberville stands, and the part still open
Adopting the 2024 IRC puts D'Iberville on the newest edition. The second requirement is the open question. The Coastal Construction Code Supplement is maintained by Smart Home America. It was developed with coastal Alabama building officials, with technical input from IBHS. Its first five sections cover:
- S1: wind-rated roof coverings and how they're attached, including drip edge, starter strips and re-nailing during a re-roof
- S2: a sealed roof deck for new construction and re-roofing
- S3: aluminum and vinyl soffit
- S4: roof-deck sheathing thickness and attachment
- S5: wind-rated roof vents and gable-vent covers
D'Iberville's published code list names the 2024 suite and ICC 600 but doesn't list the supplement. The same page has a quick link labeled "ICC:600-2008" next to a code list that says ICC 600-2020. Whether Ordinance No. 113 includes S1 through S5 is a question the Building Department can answer directly.
The neighboring jurisdictions show why the city limits matter. The Sun Herald's spring list put Bay St. Louis, Diamondhead, Waveland, Biloxi, Long Beach and Pass Christian on the 2024 IRC. Since then, Ocean Springs has issued a roof-permit guide labeled "Updated 7/2026; 2024 IR/IBC." Harrison County's code page still lists the 2018 International Building Code. Gulfport's online code, last updated July 7, 2026, shows no 2024 IRC adoption in its ordinance list through Sept. 2. Last spring, Gulfport Mayor Hugh Keating told the Sun Herald, "The cities and the counties need to get their building codes updated so they can satisfy the roofing requirements."
This matters for new construction too. Builder activity inside D'Iberville is thin right now. D.R. Horton's Windmill Ridge is listed as sold out, and the D'Iberville page on the builder's site points to communities in Biloxi and Vancleave priced from roughly the $300s. A buyer touring new builds a few miles away is shopping under a different code authority, and that changes which grant rules apply.
What the roof is worth on the insurance side
Who gets the grant matters because of what a certified roof does to premiums. The Mississippi Windstorm Underwriting Association lists credits of 20% for a FORTIFIED Roof, 25% for Silver and 30% for Gold. At the October ceremony for the program's first two certified roofs, MWUA Executive Director Durr Boyles told WLOX, "For every $1,000 you're paying to the wind pool, it's a $200 credit, and that's every year."
MWUA also offers a separate 25% credit for new homes only. It applies when a licensed engineer or architect certifies that the home complies with the most recent IBC/IRC. That ties the newest code edition to the premium directly, apart from the grant. On cost, the Sun Herald reported in September 2025 that IBHS estimated a FORTIFIED roof adds $1,000 to $3,000 to the roof on a 2,000-square-foot house.
Who can apply today, and when that changes
For 2026, applications are open only to people who are insured through the wind pool now and have been for three consecutive policy years. Winners are picked by lottery. Under the proposed rule, an approved project would have to be finished within three months of notice. WLOX reported that the state plans a full rollout in early 2027, opening the program to homeowners outside the wind pool and raising funding to $15 million paid through insurance company fees. The early-2027 round is the one where the jurisdiction rule will matter to most buyers.
If you're comparing a D'Iberville home with one across the line in Gulfport or unincorporated Harrison County, these questions are specific and answerable:
- Was the house permitted before or after Oct. 1, 2026?
- Does D'Iberville's Ordinance No. 113 adopt Sections S1 through S5 of the Coastal Construction Code Supplement?
- How old is the roof, and is a FORTIFIED certificate already on file?
- What wind credits does the current insurance policy show, and what would change with a certified roof?
This post is general information, not legal, insurance or financial advice. Grant terms and premium credits depend on your own situation, so confirm them with the Mississippi Insurance Department, your insurance agent and the city's Building Department.
A Few Questions That Come Up
Does D'Iberville's code change make every home in the city eligible for the grant? No. Today, eligibility depends on wind pool tenure and the lottery. Under the proposed rule, it would also depend on the supplement and on the home meeting FORTIFIED requirements at evaluation.
Can a condo owner apply? Not at this time. The program page excludes condominiums, duplexes and manufactured homes.
Is the six-county FAQ or the three-county proposal the rule? Neither is final yet. The FAQ is dated September 2026. The proposed regulation is open for comment through Oct. 29, and MID lists it as proposed, not adopted.
If you're weighing a D'Iberville home against one in a neighboring jurisdiction, I can help you get the permit date, the roof history and the policy's wind credits in hand before you write an offer. Reach out through Tracey Ross and we'll go through the house you're considering. Let's Connect.
