ICC/MBI 1205 Is NOT A Solution To Affordable Housing
ICC/MBI 1205 Standard for Off-Site Construction: Inspection and Regulatory Compliance is a standard that is being promoted per the ICC press release as;
” intended to promote consistency around the globe of regulatory requirements for off-site construction processes. As the building industry continues to face multiple challenges including workforce availability, housing affordability, job site safety, building quality and sustainability, the expanded use of off-site construction, often called modular or prefabrication, is one approach that has risen to address these challenges. ”
ICC Has Marketed The Standards As ' Requirements"
ICC does NOT have the authority to police or compliance to their voluntary standards, but they have marketed them as requirements for the tiny house industry. There should be options. They become requirements when they are adopted into laws.
Both ICC/MBI 1200 And 1205 Were Turned Down At IBC Hearing
Originally when ICC/MBI 1200 and 1205 were developed, tiny homes were excluded, then included, but after the 2024 IBC hearing, when the standards were turned down, they removed all the terms relating to tiny houses from the committee description, scope of the standards, and the body of the standards, with the ‘notion’ that tiny homes were inclusive, and there was no need to call them out.
How ICC/MBI 1205 Will Raise The Price Of Housing
‘The initial plant certification shall require 100 percent inspection of the aspects of construction on not fewer than one module or modular component and verify that the manufacturer has a functioning quality assurance process. This inspection shall be made by one or more qualified engineers who have reviewed the approved design and by a qualified inspector. If the initial module or modular component fails to conform with the design or standard, additional modules or modular components shall be inspected until the third-party agency is satisfied that the manufacturer complies to the approved design, the standards and the quality assurance manual. ‘
The above provision in the ICC/MBI 1205 standard is is unaffordable to small artisan manufacturers and they will pass the amount to housing.
Anonymous Third Party Comments Regarding ICC/MCI 1205
States Should Follow The Lead Of Virginia And Utah
Following Virginia, Utah became the second state to adopt the ICCMBI 1200 AND 1205 standards and is the foundation of Utah’s first ever Modular State Program. All the press releases fail to mention that ASTM E541-22 is an alternative to the ICC standards that they have adopted as well.
The State of Utah Modular Building Program is administered by the Division of Facilities Construction and Management. Administration of this program is an independent function of the division’s activities which provide construction project management services and facilities management of state-owned buildings.
Utah Code 15A-1, Factory Built Housing and Modular Units Administration Act, adopted a statewide building code for modular building units and granted authority to the Division of Facilities Construction and Management (DFCM) for oversight and regulation of the State of Utah Modular Building Program.
DFCM administration of the modular building program regulates the following:
- Approved Modular Manufacturers
- Approved Third-party Inspection Agencies
- Approved Third-party inspectors
- Modular Building Program Fees
- Modular Certification Decals
Modular Inspection Agencies Qualifications
To qualify, an inspection agency must:
- Be licensed and experienced in modular inspection and testing.
- Employ qualified personnel per ASTM E541-22 or ICC certification standards.
- Maintain $2 million in professional liability insurance.
- Remain independent of any modular manufacturer.
Every City Is Crying The Housing Blues
Every City Is Crying the Housing Blues
Verse 1
Every city crying the housing blues Every city crying the housing blues Hard working people drowning in dues Everyone’s too tired to ask who’s making the rules The new face of homeless Is the working poor With no roof over their head
Chorus
No one is connecting the threads Few men dare to tread Can’t speak up — they’re in the loop With the corporate suits
Verse 2
Same corporate suits sit on the board Voting on codes and standards they write Then adopt them in their state By trained officials who approve factories and on site From conception to placement Their fingerprints set in cement Trained officials get their credentials from the hub Officials are part of the spoke Keeping housing in a yoke
Verse 3
Training Testing Certification Accreditation too Inspection Plan review Approval coming through Agreements going up and down Vertical and horizontal too Spinning just like a wheel Closed-loop system turning All roads leading back to Rome In every city and town Tying every home To the hub — a one-stop shop From conception to placement Every step they crop Everything running Through one stop “It’s for affordable housing” That’s the story they spin But when the dust settles They’re the only ones who win
Chorus
No one is connecting the threads Few men dare to tread Can’t speak up — they’re in the loop With the corporate suits
Verse 4
Fancy people screaming “Not in my backyard!” Not in my town Not on this lot No wheels No trailers Not in my neighborhood Not big enough for our taste We have an HOA To keep the unsavory at bay Churches are told no While Jesus teaches Us to help the poor Teachers Nurses Carpenters and crews Working two jobs Still drowning in dues But everyone’s too tired to ask who’s making the rules
Chorus
No one is connecting the threads Few men dare to tread Can’t speak up — they’re in the loop With the corporate suits
Bridge We are going to keep on spinning In their hub — the one-stop shop Just like convenience stores Grab your coffee, donuts Fill up with gas, wash your car Who is brave enough To disconnect from the hub?
Outro
Until then, everyone will be crying the blues Jumping through their hoops In the closed loop Crying the blues for a roof over their head
Written By Janet Thome
May 1, 2026
