“Building codes have a storied history and largely have been established only after tragic events such as the Great Fire of London, which destroyed swaths of the city in 1666. Since then, codes have been enacted to make buildings more fire resistant, for example, or to increase public safety in dense urban areas (something especially relevant in this challenging time of COVID-19). In the United States, the first national building code was established in 1915, and a winding path of municipal, state, and even international codes has persisted ever since.”