Lynn Underwood is a building code official for the city of Norfolk, Virginia. He has worked in the building safety profession and in building code development for 31 years. A Master Code Professional and Certified Building Official, he is fully certified in all aspects of construction by the International Code Council and sits on four national code development committees. Over the past 13 years, he has participated in developing significant changes in the codes and regularly testifies at ICC code hearings for or against proposed code changes. He is currently serving a three year term on the Board of Directors with the International Code Council. A past-president of the Virginia Building and Code Official's Association, Lynn has written five books on construction and inspection. He participated in the rewriting of the Building Department Administration book published by the ICC. In addition, he was a contributing author for Healthy and Safe Homes, published by the American Public Health Association in 2010. He also writes regularly for several national magazines, including Building Safety Journal and Fine Homebuilding. A graduate engineer, Lynn is a former home builder and a Class A licensed contractor in Virginia. He teaches construction and building code classes at the Virginia Building Code Academy (Advanced Instructor), Eastern Shore Community College, and Tidewater Community College, and has developed extensive educational and training curricula for construction and inspection programs.