About the Streamlining Project
An invitation to participate in a national project to promote state and local economic development by streamlining the nation's building regulatory process through workable model processes, procedures, rules, and regulations.
Economic development and homeownership have been hindered by regulatory overlap, duplication, and slow processing of construction regulations. These problems have occurred in areas ranging from zoning and land use permits to inspections and the issuance of certificates of occupancy in too many of the over 44,000 political jurisdictions that adopt and enforce laws regulating construction.
Under its Executive Branch Agreement with the National Governors' Association (NGA), the National Conference of States on Building Codes and Standards, Inc. (NCSBCS) has worked over the years with federal agencies and public and private sector organizations to help reform the nation's building regulatory process. In September 1996, NCSBCS launched this multi-year regulatory reform project in support of several recent national initiatives to reduce the cost of government and make it more efficient. This is being done with the assistance of the State-Federal Technology Partnership, NGA, Council of State Governments (CSG), Council of State Community Development Agencies (COSCDA), White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), and other national organizations. The project covers all types of buildings--commercial, industrial, manufacturing, institutional, and residential.
NCSBCS continues to seek assistance from elected and appointed officials and the building design and construction community to help us identify existing best practices in the regulation of construction which eliminate regulatory overlap, duplication, and costly, unnecessary and lengthy processing time.
NCSBCS and its 54 national partners in Streamlining the Nation's Building Regulatory Process continue to seek the assistance of the nation's construction community and elected and building regulatory officials from all levels of government in identifying and submitting building regulatory processes, procedures, rules, regulations, and legislation which have successfully eliminated or reduced regulatory duplication, and overlap or unnecessary construction delays.
The multi-year reform project is looking for examples of best practices covering all aspects of the building regulatory process from zoning and land use through the design and construction phases to the issuance of the certificate of occupancy for the building. The project covers all types of construction facilities, including residential, commercial, industrial, manufacturing, institutional, and recreational.
Models submitted should address the particular regulatory problem which their process eliminated or reduced; the potential time or cost savings; and other relevant data. A special model submission form is available from NCSBCS by calling Carolyn Fitch at (703) 437-0100, e-mail at cfitch@ncsbcs.org, or on this Web site.
Among the national organizations and federal agencies participating in the project are--
CLICK HERE for a complete list of participating organizations.
THE MISSION, GOALS, AND STRUCTURE OF THE STREAMLINING PROCESS PROJECT
MISSION
The project's mission is to promote public safety and economic development in states and localities and support U.S. international economic competitiveness in the construction industry by helping each level of government (federal, state, regional, and local) determine, adopt, and implement streamlined administrative procedures, processes, rules, and regulations.
GOALS
Among the goals of the project are a 60 percent reduction in regulatory processing time for construction projects, and support for the fulfillment of the Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing Project (PATH) and the National Construction Goals for the National Science and Technology Council.
The mission and goals are fulfilled by two working groups which NCSBCS and its partners are assembling. The groups are comprised of individuals and organizations representing government agencies and the construction industry. These groups are
STRUCTURE
Funding for the Streamlining project comes from linking contributions by participating organizations, including grants from a consortium of federal agencies.
The Streamlining the Nation's Building Regulatory Process is well into its sixth year of operations, having approved 60 streamlined model programs from a pool of over 150 case studies submitted from 40 states. This nationwide effort of 54 national partners seeks to reduce the cost and complexity of building regulation while simultaneously ensuring life safety and affordability.
To obtain a detailed background paper, or information on how to become involved in the project, or participate in the next meeting of the National Streamlining Implementation Committee or the NCSBCS Regulatory Affairs Committee, contact Carolyn Fitch at cfitch@ncsbcs.org or by calling (703) 437-0100 ext. 238.
Since the promulgation in colonial times of the first laws governing the siting, design, and construction of buildings, our nation's regulatory process has grown with our country. The buildings in which we live and work have gone from the simple log cabin to high-rise apartment buildings, nuclear power plants, and manufacturing facilities with more square footage under a single roof than the total area of our earliest colonial settlements.
As a people we have chosen to function under a political system that promotes diversity of governmental authority, and structure. As a result, we have developed a national regulatory system well meaning in its intentions, but layered and overly complex. Our social purposes, missions, and public interests often compete, with our 44,000 jurisdictions, all 50 states, several territories, and the federal government each amending, adopting, interpreting, and enforcing five major sets of construction codes and over 2,000 technical standards governing the siting, design, and construction of buildings.
In a time of intense international economic competition, dwindling government financial resources available and increased public demand for rational, effective government actions that balance public's health, welfare, life safety and economic development this system is an expensive anachronism. This current system today adds unnecessary cost and confusion to all parties, reducing both safety and affordability of construction.
The objectives of the Streamlining the Nation's Building Regulatory Process project are to bring greater common sense to our building regulatory system by identifying or developing model rules, regulations, policies, and procedures which will
Eliminate confusion and promote public safety.
Reduce time delays and construction costs.
Increase predictability.
Help government determine at which level certain aspects of the siting, design, and construction of buildings are best regulated.
Help each level of government sort out and resolve competing public interests and purposes.
Promote equally, public safety, the environment, economic development, and the international economic competitiveness of the United States
