4. Code
Requirements
Most cities have adopted the Uniform
Building Code (UBC) of the International Conference of Building
Code Officials (ICBO). All construction within these cities must
satisfy the requirements of the UBC and are inspected for compliance
by the local building inspector.
Manufactured housing is constructed
to HUD requirements which, in turn, are required to meet the
Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards of the
Congress of American Building Officials (CABO).
Both codes address issues of
public health and safety with regard to home construction. The
primary difference between the two codes lies in the types of
structures they encompass and referenced standards. The CABO
code that applies to manufactured housing is limited only to
single-family residential homes that are constructed in a factory
setting. It includes requirements for building materials and
assembly as well as plumbing, heating, and electrical installations.
The UBC is a broad range building
construction code that includes all anticipated occupancies
and, as such, is more voluminous than the CABO code. Plumbing,
heating and ventilating are generally regulated under the Uniform
Mechanical Code (UMC) and electrical work is regulated under
the National Electric Code (NEC).
In local jurisdictions that adopted
a building code enforcement program, each home constructed on-site
and each modular home assembled on-site are subject to inspection
for code compliance by the local Building Official. When a building
code enforcement program has not been adopted, local inspection
of home construction seldom occurs and is frequently limited
to electrical and plumbing inspection.
The CABO code requires each manufactured
home to be inspected at the factory before it is shipped. Each
home must bear a ãcertificationâ label attesting that it was
inspected and found to comply with the requirements of the CABO
code. This inspection will occur on all manufactured houses
whether they are located in an area that has adopted a building
code enforcement program or not.
Modular housing is required to follow
a similar process in that certification in the form of an ãinsigniaâ
and a data plate that defines the design loads be attached to
each home before it is shipped. The State Building Codes Division
monitors the enforcement of applicable codes as authorized and
described in ARM 8.70.501-577.