Government operations and workforce

Executive Order 13717: Establishing a Federal Earthquake Risk Management Standard

President: Barack Obama

Set minimum earthquake-safety requirements for federal buildings and federally leased, financed or regulated construction.

Status: In effect.

Is Executive Order 13717 still in effect? Yes. Active federal seismic-risk standard; NIST published the latest biennial implementation report in January 2025.

What does Executive Order 13717 do?

EO 13717 updated federal seismic policy for new construction, alterations, leases, assistance programs and existing buildings. It directs agencies to use current model codes and standards, inventory and evaluate vulnerable property, and report implementation every two years. NIST’s 2025 report covered 63 agencies and confirmed ongoing implementation; the order remains unrevoked.

Administration position: The order governs specified federal responsibilities; it does not replace state and local building codes for every privately financed building.
SignedFebruary 2, 2016
Lead technical bodyNIST and the ICSSC
ReportingBiennial agency reports

Before and after

Before the order

Federal seismic requirements rested on EOs 12699 and 12941 and older standards.

After the order

One updated framework linked federal construction and property decisions to current earthquake-resistant standards.

Who had to do what

Agency / officeActionTiming / position
Federal agenciesApply codes evaluate buildings and reportContinuing
NIST and ICSSCIssue guidance and summarize progressContinuing
OMBReceive agency reports and oversee implementationContinuing

What happened next

EO 13717 established the standard.

NIST published the 2024 progress report.