February 27th, 2019
by Madison Neal

The International Accreditation Service (IAS), a member of the ICC Family of Companies, awarded an accreditation to the Los Alamos County, New Mexico, Building Safety Division of the Community Development Department. This prestigious accreditation demonstrates that the Los Alamos Building Safety Division has met the national standard and is competent to provide public safety services. A recognized accreditation body since 1975, IAS is one of the leading accreditation organizations in the U.S. and is recognized by several international accreditation consortiums.

Front row from left, Kellee Fernandez of IAS, left, holds up the IAS accreditation plaque along with the Community Development Department building staff, which includes Chief Building Official Michael Arellano and Lenora Maes. Back row from left, building staff David Martinez, left, Adrienne Lovato, Larry Valdez, Michael Marquez, Department Director Paul Andrus and Joe Dudziak. Photo by Kirsten Laskey

Based on IAS Accreditation Criteria for Building Code Regulatory Agencies and Third-Party Service Providers (AC251), the accreditation involves an assessment of the department’s goals, policies and procedures, as well as permitting, inspections and plan reviews. The scope of accreditation for the Los Alamos County Building Safety Division applies to code enforcement of structural and life safety, energy, existing buildings, and swimming pools, spas, and hot tubs.

“To achieve accreditation, the Los Alamos Building Safety Department underwent rigorous assessments to verify that it operates under the highest ethical, legal and technical standards while providing enhanced life safety and property protection,” said IAS President Raj Nathan. “This is a significant accomplishment as the department has demonstrated its commitment to public safety.”

“It is both a privilege and an honor to receive the first IAS Certificate of Accreditation in the State of New Mexico,” said Los Alamos Chief Building Official Michael Arellano. “This has also been a great learning experience for the department. Our staff has worked diligently to fine-tune the division’s policies and procedures, updating forms and getting our stakeholders involved in the process. We were able to identify the challenge areas in our processes and correct them with the help of the evaluation team.”

Arellano continued, “This process has not only given us credibility in our regulatory requirements within our community but also throughout the state. The process has had a positive and tremendous impact on our best practices and we have become a better department having gone through the evaluation.”

About the Author
Madison Neal
Madison Neal is the External Communications Manager at the International Code Council. She joined the ICC staff in September 2017. Madison specializes in digital communications, podcast production, and social media strategy. Before this role, she was the Social Media Manager for the Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, Conn. Madison holds a B.A. in Communications Media Studies from Northeastern University.