Pennsylvania
DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT



August 21, 2011

Mr. Gil Longwell, Administrator
Pennsylvania Building Code Officials Conference #269
4902 Carlisle Pike
Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Dear Mr. Longwell:
This letter comes to you to help assist your members in understanding the recent amendment to the Uniform Construction Code Act (UCC), more specifically Act 1 of 2011 and the impact of this amendment on the Pennsylvania Industrialized Housing Act.

As you know, the Industrialized Housing Act predates the UCC and by virtue of the program requirements already established, is exempt from the UCC. It is nowhere expressed or implied that the Industrialized Housing Act should defer to the UCC for the adoption of standards. In fact, the particular standards of construction for a Pennsylvania certified industrialized housing unit is not a condition for a local authority issuing a building or occupancy permit. The only condition of acceptance is the certification that the industrialized housing unit has been produced under the Pennsylvania Industrialized Housing Act.

It is important to recognize that Act 1 includes language that precludes the adoption of any standard under the industrialized housing program that is specifically omitted from the UCC (such as fire sprinklers for one and two family dwellings). However, Act 1 does not impact or amend the requirements for adoption of standards under the industrialized housing program.

With this said the newly added requirement for fire protection of floors (UCC 9 403.21 g), like any other standard adopted under the UCC, does not apply to the industrialized housing program.

While we feel that there is a benefit to having all housing standards parallel one another to the maximum extent possible, we cannot arbitrarily apply new requirements. We have notified all approved producers of industrialized homes that the industrialized housing program will adopt the 2012 IRC R 501.3 effective for all industrialized homes entering the first stage of production on or after September 1, 2011. Homes previously certified under this program, retain their exemption from the UCC without the need for modification.

Sincerely,


Mark Conte
Chief, Housing Standards Division
 

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...why do they continue to be frequently asked?!

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The Uniform Construction Code, is also known as Act 45 and the UCC. The UCC is a state law that establishes minimum construction standards within the Commonwealth. Often called “building codes,” these standards protect the life, health, property and general safety of building occupants, be they residents, workers, visitors or people who respond to emergencies within structures.

The UCC addresses several situations... • By eliminating inconsistent construction requirements from municipality to municipality, the UCC sets one common standard statewide.

• Where no municipal construction standard was in place, the UCC creates a construction standard.

• Duplicative or conflicting standards were set aside by the UCC which created complimentary inter-related requirements.

• The state agency responsible for UCC-related issues is the Department of Labor and Industry (L&I).

There is a link to the L&I site on our "links" page.