December 18th, 2024
by Allison Rafferty

On December 9, 2024, the state of Rhode Island’s Building Code Standards committee approved the adoption of the International Code Council’s and Modular Building Institute’s (MBI) Standards 1200, 1205 and 1210. Rhode Island is the first state to adopt ICC/MBI 1210 Standard for Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing Systems, Energy Efficiency and Water Conservation in Off-site Construction. The state joins Virginia, Utah and Montana in adopting ICC/MBI Standards 1200 and 1205 for off-site construction.

The Code Council and MBI have developed a series of off-site construction standards to provide best practices based on existing off-site construction programs and support consistency and efficiency in how off-site construction is approved and inspected. The ICC/MBI standards for off-site construction aid communities in advancing off-site construction while adhering to local building codes.

These standards include:

“Off-site construction has proven to be an effective solution to address multiple challenges including the affordable housing crisis,” said Code Council Vice President of Innovation Ryan Colker. “Rhode Island seized the opportunity to update their program to capture best practices in administering the state’s off-site construction program and highlights the state’s significant commitment to enhancing building safety and affordability.”

Off-site 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 for sustainability, workforce development and jobsite safety.

More information about off-site construction can be found here. 

About the Author
Allison Rafferty joined the International Code Council as Communications Coordinator in 2023. Her background is in news reporting and content writing. In her free time, she is an arts and entertainment freelance reporter. She graduated from Grand Valley State University with a bachelor’s degree in multimedia journalism and writing.