Virginia Becomes First State to Adopt Offsite Construction Standards

The Commonwealth of Virginia has approved the adoption of ICC/MBI Standards 1200 and 1205 as a part of their adoption package of the International Code Council’s suite of 2021 International Codes. The Commonwealth becomes the first state to adopt the ICC/MBI Standards for Offsite Construction and is the first jurisdiction to do so since Salt Lake City adopted the standards in 2021.

The adoption of ICC/MBI Standards 1200 and 1205 was led by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development and will become effective on January 18, 2024. This underscores the Commonwealth’s commitment and leadership in establishing uniformity in offsite construction regulation.

Offsite Construction Standards

The Code Council and the Modular Building Institute (MBI) developed ICC/MBI Standard 1200-2021: Standard for Off-Site Construction: Planning, Design, Fabrication, and Assembly and ICC/MBI Standard 1205-2021: Standard for Off-Site Construction: Inspection and Regulatory Compliance in order to provide best practices based on existing offsite construction programs and support consistency and efficiency in how offsite construction is approved and inspected.

Virginia will leverage the two standards to promote greater uniformity with existing statewide programs across the country.

“The Commonwealth of Virginia has taken an important step forward and will have our support to ensure success,” said Code Council Chief Executive Officer Dominic Sims, CBO. “This will allow communities in the Commonwealth to reap the safety and cost-savings benefits of offsite construction and emphasizes the Commonwealth’s efforts to address the critical need for safe, sustainable, and affordable buildings and communities.”

Offsite construction is a rapidly growing, innovative construction technique, that creates affordable housing with greater speed to market than traditional construction methods. Offsite construction can also support jurisdictions in achieving their goals of sustainability and jobsite safety. The ICC/MBI Standards for Offsite Construction aid communities in advancing offsite construction while adhering to local building codes.

“MBI is very proud of its relationship with the Code Council and the work we’ve done on these two standards,” said Modular Building Institute Marketing Director John McMullen. “Our hope is that every other state will follow Virginia’s example in order to maximize the benefits offsite and modular construction can offer around the country.”