NCSBCS serves as a national forum for building codes and standards and maintains a wide membership of architects, engineers, product suppliers, manufacturers, code enforcement personnel, and elected officials. Many of our past and present members have raised issues over the years that have developed into projects to improve the building regulatory environment, such as the Streamlining the Nation’s Building Regulatory Process project and the NCSBCS International Academy of Professional Code Administration (IAPCA). Others have directly contributed their time and expertise, in the form of in-kind services or consulting work, to NCSBCS and its clients and partners.
Description of NCSBCS Services
Technical Services for Members
Secretariat Services
Regulatory Streamlining
Building Codes
and Standards Research, Analysis, and Development
Education and Training--Nontechnical
Education and Training--Technical
International Services
Technical Services for Members
NCSBCS provides building regulatory expertise for its members through membership-funded and grant-based projects with government agencies, public and private organizations, and corporations. This expertise includes:
NCSBCS maintains a staff of professionals, possessing years of dedicated experience and credentials as code and regulatory analysts, code enforcement experts, legal analysts, and training experts. NCSBCS also relies periodically on its members' years of experience in numerous building industry subject areas, both through in-kind services and consulting/subcontracting agreements.
For more information, please
contact:
Carolyn Fitch
(703) 437-0100 ext. 238
cfitch@ncsbcs.org
NCSBCS provides technical and administrative support to the Association of Major City/County Building Officials (AMCBO), the Industrialized Buildings Commission (IBC) - an interstate compact, and the National Alliance for Building Regulatory Reform in the Digital Age. These services include monitoring and inspection services, meeting planning, technical training, code analysis, drafting of legislation and regulations, and providing secretarial support.
For more information, please contact:
Carolyn Fitch
(703) 437-0100 ext. 238
cfitch@ncsbcs.org
NCSBCS leads the effort to streamline the building regulatory process by identifying and promoting proven regulatory programs on a national platform, and by proactively assisting jurisdictions at all levels of government to remove regulatory barriers to affordable construction.
NCSBCS, through the assistance and support of national partners, operates the Streamlining the Nation’s Building Regulatory Process project and provides secretariat services to the Alliance for Building Regulatory Reform in the Digital Age. The project’s mission is to improve public safety, environmental quality, and economic development by helping each level of government (federal, state, regional, local) adopt and implement streamlined administrative procedures, processes, rules, and regulations. These streamlined elements eliminate existing areas of regulatory overlap and inefficiency that have created barriers to safe, affordable, and environmentally sound construction.
Services
Past and Present Clients
For
more information, please contact:
Carolyn Fitch
(703) 37-0100 ext. 238
Building Codes and Standards Research, Analysis, and Development
Experienced staff is available to research, analyze, and compile the regulatory requirements of national, regional, state, and municipal construction codes and standards. They are also equipped to identify and interpret codes and regulations that affect a company’s buildings, equipment, and operations. Furthermore, NCSBCS is well equipped to assist interested parties in their participation in the code development process and to work with all parties to facilitate acceptance of or changes to codes.
NCSBCS attends the code bodies’ annual meetings and works on a day-to-day basis to stay abreast of all development and changes within the code community. NCSBCS also serves as a clearinghouse for current information on construction issues facing building code and regulatory professionals. NCSBCS maintains a library of construction regulations that provides a thorough survey of the requirements faced by product manufacturers, corporations, and building professionals. NCSBCS publishes the Directory of Building Codes and Regulations, an easy-to-use guide to codes and regulations adopted for new building construction. The directory is updated periodically and is available online to NCSBCS members with an annual printed edition available through the BNI Bookstore.
NCSBCS researches the latest pending and adopted federal and state legislative actions affecting the building regulatory industry. Staff prepare detailed reports describing how the legislation affects all parties involved in the regulatory process, from the contractor to the materials manufacturer to the consumer. Staff also conduct formal and informal surveys to gather, analyze, and disseminate information for building professionals, enforcement officials, and trade associations.
Services
Past and Present Clients
For
more information, please contact:
Carolyn Fitch
(703) 437-0100 ext. 238
Education and Training—Nontechnical
Established in 1998 under a cooperative agreement with the Virginia Code Academy, the International Academy for Professional Codes Administration (IAPCA) provides professional development training and facilitation services to industry professionals and public administrators nationwide, as well as technical training in manufactured housing installation and inspection. IAPCA serves architects, engineers, building officials, inspectors, elected officials, and the construction community.
Training
IAPCA’s codes administration training programs improve the leadership skills of code enforcement professionals, provide a thorough understanding of various regulatory systems, and increase administrative efficiency. Instructors are drawn from a roster of active and retired code enforcement professionals who have successfully completed the NCSBCS "Train the Trainer" course.
Training programs include:
The Academy also offers clients the opportunity to develop specialized curricula for the above programs, as well as new curricula, to meet the training needs of its customers.
Past and Present Clients
For more information, please
contact:
Carolyn Fitch
(703) 437-0100 ext. 238
cfitch@ncsbcs.org
Education and Training—Technical
The NCSBCS International Academy for Professional Codes Administration (IAPCA) also provides professional development training and facilitation services to industry professionals and public administrators nationwide, as well as technical training in manufactured and modular housing installation and inspection. IAPCA serves architects, engineers, building officials, inspectors, elected officials, and the construction community.
Training
NCSBCS has monitored the design, construction, and performance of factory-built housing for more than 20 years and has been a recognized national leader in the areas of energy conservation and green building. Its staff of professional engineers, architects, and quality auditors has used this expertise to develop and deliver training programs for the past 10 years to building officials, inspectors, and home installers throughout the United States.
Current Technical Training programs include:
Past and Present Clients
For more information, please
contact:
Carolyn Fitch
(703) 437-0100 ext. 238
cfitch@ncsbcs.org
Modular Homes and Structures
NCSBCS provides third-party monitoring and associated services within the modular building industry through its involvement in the Industrialized Buildings Commission. NCSBCS provides construction inspections, quality audits, and contract/regulatory compliance evaluation services of the builders and their factories. NCSBCS also performs plan reviews and product assessments, and evaluates the performance of building systems and new construction technologies and products.
Technical Training
NCSBCS, through its International Academy of Professional Code Administration, provides training and certification of inspectors in factory-built buildings. Topics have included quality control, compliance procedures, and many varied and specific technical issues associated with factory-built homes and structures. We have also developed technical training guidebooks and train-the-trainer materials/programs.
Past and Present Clients:
For more information, please
contact:
Carolyn Fitch
(703) 437-0100 ext. 238
cfitch@ncsbcs.org
NCSBCS provides services to improve building code enforcement and public safety programs in interested foreign countries. This recently expanded mission was developed in light of tragedies around the world caused by earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and other natural disasters. As the authority on building codes and standards, NCSBCS recognizes the need to bring the latest advances in building regulation and technology to ensure the safety and welfare of people worldwide.
Examples of Work in International Markets:
Initiate and conduct international conferences, forums, and workshops to present and discuss the importance of code systems and innovative approaches to construction regulation and enforcement practices.
Caribbean Conference
NCSBCS organized the Caribbean/Central American Forum on Building Codes and Standards in September of 1998. The forum brought together the public and private sectors of the region to explore and discuss common approaches to improve economic development, public welfare, and safety through the adoption and effective enforcement of building codes and standards. The forum culminated in a "Declaration for Cooperative Action," which calls for those in the Caribbean/ Central American region to work together to reduce the loss of life and property damage during disasters and to increase public safety and economic development. In the declaration, participants committed themselves to working cooperatively to develop and adopt uniform construction codes; educate and train enforcement and construction personnel on enforcement issues; and design and construct disaster-resistant, affordable housing.
Clients
For more information, please contact:
Carolyn Fitch
(703) 437-0100 ext. 238