June 8th, 2020
by ICC NTA

ICC NTA, LLC is a member of the International Code Council family of solutions, which are dedicated to the construction of safe, sustainable, affordable and resilient structures. As an accredited third-party agency, NTA provides code evaluation, product certification, inspection, engineering, plan review and testing services as well as independent quality and standards compliance verification for building product manufacturers. With six regional locations, testing labs and training facilities in both Nappanee, Ind., and Bryan, Texas, NTA serves residential and commercial builders, code officials, manufacturers, and suppliers throughout the building industry.

 

Manufactured and modular housing expertise

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has an ongoing relationship of communication and commitment regarding the assessment of NTA’s annual performance as a Production Inspection Primary Inspection Agency (IPIA) in the manufactured housing program. The IPIAs, like NTA, ensure that the manufactured home facilities in-plant quality assurance systems continue to build conforming homes. They conduct oversight audits and inspections at manufactured home production facilities, provide an annual performance assessment report, make recommendations to improve performance or take enforcement actions, and oversee the reporting of certification label usage and collection of label fees.

NTA is also an approved Design Approval Primary Inspection Agency (DAPIA) — one of only five private companies to earn the distinction of both IPIA and DAPIA. The DAPIAs approve manufactured home designs for compliance with the Federal Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards. They conduct oversight reviews of DAPIA-approved designs, provide an annual performance assessment, and make recommendations to improve performance or take enforcement actions.

There are 13 HUD-approved state and private third-party agencies that inspect a manufactured home at various stages of production. Some of the third-party agencies also approve the manufacturer’s designs to ensure the plans are consistent with HUD standards. Manufacturers contract directly with a state or local third-party agency and pay for the design review and the home inspection services. NTA provides manufacturers with a cost-effective means of on-site and in-plant, third-party inspection services for their factory-built structures and is dedicated to working to enhance the quality of manufactured homes.

NTA conducts process audits to monitor plant conditions and quality systems changes following plant certification. Such audits, along with inspections conducted during regular surveillance visits, generate meaningful data to assist manufacturers in properly aligning quality assurance programs with production processes. Additionally, NTA is an industry leader in verifying HUD, modular, residential, commercial, and industrial buildings are compliant to the International Residential Code, International Building Code, and other state and federal standards. Its plan review services help to ensure that structures meet or exceed requirements for quality, safety and performance.

About the Author
ICC NTA, LLC, located in Nappanee, Ind., a member of the Code Council family of solutions, provides building product certification, building code compliance review, engineering design services, and inspection and product testing. The company has more than 60 trained professional engineers, plan reviewers, technicians, consultants, quality auditors and design draftsmen with professional registrations in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.