Guide to Dominica Housing Standards 2018

The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development is pleased to present the Guide to Dominica's Housing Standards. The Guide was developed in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme, Engineers Without Borders, the World Bank, the Physical Planning Division and Ministry of Housing. Our gratitude is extended to these partners.

The Post Disaster Needs Assessment conducted with the assistance of Development Partner in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria which struck Dominica on September 18, 2017 indicated that damage in the housing sector was extensive with damage to approximately 90 percent of the housing stock. Of the 31,348 homes comprising the Dominican housing stock, a total of approximately 4,700 houses (15%) were identified as destroyed, approximately 23,500 of homes, (75%) were estimated to have incurred different levels of partial damage, and 3,135 (10%) were considered as not affected by the event. Total damage to the housing sector is estimated at EC$956 million (US$354 million). This included the replacement cost of destroyed houses, repair cost of partially damaged houses, and the replacement cost of household goods destroyed. Losses were estimated at EC$77 million (US$28.5 million) and include expected loss of rental income, the cost of demolition, rubble removal, and shelter expenses.

It became necessary to revisit the building regulations (Building Code and Building Guidelines) and the Physical Planning Act of 2002 with the aim to update/amend so as to adequately and effectively respond to the need for recovery in the Housing Sector. The result of the exercise was the updating of the Building Code to be submitted for approval, followed by proposed amendments to the Act. The development of the Guide to Dominica's Housing Standards, therefore, is presented as a first response mechanism to address the need for climate resilient residential housing construction.

Read the entire Guide to Dominica Housing Standards 2018 (PDF, 3,683 KB) document.

Posted: 17/05/2018

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