"What is the IBC?"
by Jerry Brosius, NTA, Inc.

Three years ago, the MBI Board of Directors endorsed the program being promulgated by the Industrialized Buildings Commission commonly referred to as the IBC. Since that endorsement, the expansion of the IBC was not included with MBI's list of primary goals. The current MBI Board has made reciprocity among states a primary goal with preference given to the IBC program. While our members in the Northeast and Midwest are somewhat familiar with the IBC, others may need a quick primer on this organization and the benefits they offer to MBI dealers and manufacturers.

The IBC, is comprised of Minnesota, New Jersey and Rhode Island. The IBC was formed in 1993 by legislation enacted in each of these states to form an Interstate Compact. The Commission is currently comprised of one member from each compact state and one manufacturer. The bylaws provide for expansion of the commission when additional states become members.

The IBC can enter into reciprocity agreements with states that may have difficulty in enacting compact legislation or states that want to test drive the program prior to making a full commitment. The key elements in accepting reciprocity are the acceptance of the single IBC label and the commitment to accept in principal the IBC Uniform Administrative Procedures. Under reciprocity, the states are able to share in the revenue generated by the label fees. These funds are distributed under a revenue sharing formula developed by the commissioners. Currently, the label fees are $48.00 for manufacturers located in member states and $53.00 for members located in non-member states. One label is assigned per module. Other fee schedules have been developed for components and closed panel construction.

There are two documents that guide the IBC. These are the Model Rules and Regulations (MRR) and the Uniform Administrative Procedures (UAP). The MRR is adopted by the legislation that prohibits amendments by the Commissioners. The MRR addresses the acceptance of the model codes and minimum submittal documents for designs and quality assurance manuals. As a living document the UAP contains the basic operating procedures and these procedures can be amended by the Commissioners.

The IBC operates with significant input from the Rules Development Committee (RDC). The RDC is comprised of manufacturers, government officials, consumers and one third party agency. Proposed amendments to the UAP are passed through the RDC where they are thoroughly reviewed and revised as required. As such, the RDC is unique to the administration of the IBC's industrialized buildings program. It affords all affected parties a chance to submit program changes and to present their views before the RDC.

The IBC's premise is to accept all model codes, unamended. While this is the ultimate goal, the reality is that buildings must generally comply with the codes of the receiving state. Energy codes and accessibility codes are two areas where state law often preempts the model codes. These are areas that are an inconvenience with any type of reciprocity program.

The IBC concept of a single label eliminates the need for multiple state labels and the paperwork nightmare associated with ordering and reporting. The single label reduces costs since it is accepted by more than one state. As the expansion of the IBC continues, additional cost savings will be realized. Labels are controlled by the inspection agency and released to the manufacturer after the IBC has received payment. The order processing is expedient and efficient. Clear and concise procedures are also in place for the replacement of lost or damaged labels.

Under the UAP, buildings may be recertified by using IBC approved inspection agencies. In this case, the dealer becomes the manufacturer and orders IBC labels directly from the agency. The inspection agency is responsible for code compliance of the recertified building. The benefits of this program feature are enormous. For example, large complexes can be subdivided into smaller buildings. Also, buildings that do not have an IBC label, or any type of label, are eligible for recertification if code compliance can be verified.

Another feature of the IBC program that benefits the industry is the regulation of third party agencies. These agencies are recognized as design evaluation and inspection in the UAP. Minimum criteria for the agencies staff is spelled out and this includes successful completion of building code examinations and continuing education. Agency employees involved with inspection and plans review are certified by the IBC. These qualifications help to assure the consumer and local code officials that the product is code compliant.

As part of the regulation of inspection agencies, the IBC conducts unannounced audits at manufacturing facilities. These audits are to monitor the agency and not the manufacturer. The intent is to make sure that the agency is assuring that the manufacturer abides by the procedures set forth in their quality assurance manual. Information obtained during the audits is used as part of the annual performance review on all IBC approved agencies. These annual reviews provide another level of assurance that the IBC labeled product is code compliant.

During the course of this year, we will keep our members apprised of our efforts in achieving IBC reciprocity with additional states. We welcome any questions concerning the IBC program. Please address these to Judy Smith at the MBI headquarters. We will provide answers to all of your questions. We also intend to post these inquiries as anonymous questions on our web site.

Copyright © Modular Building Institute, July 1999.