The city of Moss Point's building code enforcement program is earning an additional 5 percent discount on state wind pool insurance premiums for houses built this year.

Scott Jerome, assistant manager of the Mississippi State Rating Bureau, said Moss Point's class rating improved from a nine to a six. Nine on the 10-point scale provided a 10 percent discount on wind insurance provided in the state program while one, the top rating, nets a 30 percent discount.

The new rating means a 15 percent wind pool insurance discount applies to houses built this year in Moss Point.

Jerome said a 10 percent discount based on the former class rating of nine continues for houses built from 1997 to 2009 in Moss Point.

Houses built before 1997 do not get a discount in the building code rating program, he said. The rating is determined through the Building Code Effectiveness Grading Schedule. The program assesses a city's building codes and how they are enforced with special attention to mitigation of losses from natural hazards.

The class rating system sets one as its best level and 10 as its worst, which indicates no recognized protection, he said.

Discounts based on the bureau's building code ratings began last July, said Jerome.

Moss Point Building Official Paul Sistrunk credited the city's improved rating to "training and overall standard operating procedures."

Sistrunk, who said he has served as building official for 14 months, said adoption of the 2006 International Code in 2009 was an important step toward improving the city's rating.

Ocean Springs has a five rating and Pascagoula has a four, said Jerome. The ratings give new residential construction a 20 percent wind pool insurance discount in both cities, he said.

Ocean Springs was rated six from 1996 through 2009, he said. Houses built during that period receive a 15 percent discount.

Pascagoula was first graded in 2004 and earned a six rating, he said. Houses built prior to 2004 in Pascagoula are not eligible for the discount, he said.

Gautier's building code effectiveness rating is six, improved from a seven since 1996, he said. Houses built since 1996 in Gautier receive a 15 percent discount.

Jackson County has a five rating, which gives new construction a 20 percent discount on the state's wind pool insurance, he said. The county was not rated until 2009 and houses built prior to that do not receive a discount, he said.

Anthony Matheny, community services director at Gautier, said the ratings are determined by factors such as building codes and experience levels of building officials.

Matheny announced Gautier's move from a seven to six rating to the City Council recently. "That information will be given to insurance companies," he said.

Gautier residents should see a 5 percent reduction in their flood insurance premiums due to the better rating, he said.

"It is not a humongous drop, but it is a little drop and as we build up more community rating system points and hit that next plateau it will drop again," he said to the City Council on Tuesday.

"We do take it very seriously," said Matheny. "We try to do what we can to improve our code enforcement activities and our building department activities. We are proud of it. We are really excited about it."

Matheny said homeowners should contact their insurance agents to find out if the building code effectiveness rating can lower premiums.

The ratings also apply to commercial buildings. According to the Mississippi Windstorm Underwriting Association, class ratings one through three earn a 10 percent wind pool insurance discount. A 6 percent discount is given for a four through seven rating. A rating of eight or nine earns a 2 percent discount.

The state program also provides discounts for retrofitting houses with devices that make them more resistant to wind damage.

Mike Chaney, state insurance commissioner, said in a speech to the Pascagoula Kiwanis Club that he is working on a $20 million program to provide grants to strengthen houses against hurricane damage.

Chaney has said one key to lower insurance costs on the coast is to build stronger structures.