HUD Proposes to Replace FHA Building Inspectors
with ICC-Certified Inspectors and Code Officials

A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) proposal to eliminate Federal Housing Administration (FHA) inspectors recognizes the quality of the work performed by ICC Members and all jurisdictional code officials. The rule change also demonstrates the value of earning International Code Council certification as an inspector and the quality of the Code Council's rigorous certification process.

HUD regulations govern the inspection and warranty requirements of FHA-insured mortgages. In the executive summary of the proposed change, HUD says: "The quality of housing and building technology has improved significantly. In addition, local jurisdictions have adopted more uniform building codes, while more vigorously enforcing their building codes."

ICC filed comments to the HUD Rulemaking Proposal and agreed with the finding that use of the International Residential Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings (IRC) in 49 states and the District of Columbia was strong justification for eliminating the separate and duplicative system of a HUD-maintained roster of FHA inspectors. In the proposal, HUD recognized the increasing quality of inspections by building code officials nationwide.

The National Association of Home Builders in written comments said it "strongly supports" the HUD proposal. NAHB cited increased code uniformity, the rigorous examinations required to become an ICC Residential Combination Inspector and familiarity of inspectors with the IRC among the reasons for its support.

HUD proposes to eliminate its national inspector roster that dates back to an era when cities and states developed their own building codes with little uniformity or consistency. If the proposal is approved, HUD would rely on local residential building inspections and the certificate of occupancy issued by local jurisdictions to determine if a home is complete and the construction is of acceptable quality. In areas where local inspections are not conducted, HUD proposes to use ICC-certified Residential Combination Inspectors to perform inspections for the FHA.

"To be certified by the ICC, Residential Combination Inspectors must pass a rigorous set of examinations, which includes testing their knowledge of the IRC," HUD said. "As a result, there is no longer a need for HUD to maintain and administer its own standardization process for inspectors."

The HUD proposal seeks to remove requirements it no longer believes to be necessary to reduce some of the administrative burden on homeowners and HUD. The change also is expected to produce dollar savings for homeowners who obtain FHA-insured mortgages.

ICC suggested HUD also accept inspections performed by ICC-certified Combination Inspectors as they are certified in all four areas required to be a Residential Combination Inspector. ICC urges code officials to check the status of their certifications to be fully qualified to perform inspections for FHA-insured homes when the proposal is approved.

2013 Code of Honor Scholarships

The scholarship application period will open on Monday, May 20 and close on Friday, July 12. Code of Honor professional development scholarships help to ensure the I-Codes reflect the consensus view of officials at all levels of government by providing funding to Governmental Member Voting Representatives seeking to attend and participate in the Public Comment Hearings, Oct. 2–10, in Atlantic City, N.J. Last year, 93 scholarships were awarded to Governmental Member Voting Representatives.

Pictured are the 2012 Code of Honor Scholarship recipients at the Code Council Annual Conference in Portland, Ore.

Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., Welcomes Businesses with a "Personal Touch"

Since the beginning of last year, the Rancho Cucamonga Building & Safety Department has been reinventing itself as a business friendly public entity by reaching out to new and existing businesses on a more personal level when issuing Certificates of Occupancies.

In previous years, when businesses completed new construction or tenant improvements, Building & Safety Director Trang Huynh says a Certificate of Occupancy was printed in black and white and placed in the mail. "This practice was very impersonal and as a result many businesses didn't quite know what they were supposed to do with the Certificate once it was received," Huynh explains in the latest issue of the city's The Buzz in Building newsletter.

Now, however, the city prints Certificates of Occupancies in color and a staff member hand delivers them to business owners and/or managers. At the same time, staff also discusses the permit and inspection processes with the business owners and managers to see if there are any areas for improvements. "The thought behind the reinvention was to let businesses know that there was more to the department than plan checking, inspections, regulations, and code requirements," Huyhn says.

The results, so far, have been good. "Over 10 Certificates of Occupancies have been delivered using this new procedure and the reaction that we are finding with this personal approach is many of the business owners are pleasantly surprised with the 'special delivery,'" Huynh says, "and more importantly, we are noticing that many businesses are proudly displaying their certificates for the public to see."

Structural Engineering, Codes and Standards Expert W. Gene Corley Passes Away

Dr. W. Gene Corley, one of the world’s foremost experts on building collapse investigations, passed away March 1 after a brief illness. He was 77.

Corley, a native of Shelbyville, Illinois, who resided in Skokie, was a preeminent member of the structural engineering profession and the codes and standards industry. He led the federal investigation into the September 11, 2001, collapse of the World Trade Center’s twin towers. He also conducted the investigation of the 1995 collapse of part of the Murrah Federal Building caused by the Oklahoma City bombing, and served as expert advisor during the investigation and trial resulting from the 1993 fatal fire at the Branch Davidian complex in Waco, Texas.

After earning a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering (1958) and a Master’s (1960) and Doctorate in Structural Engineering (1961), all from the University of Illinois, Corley served as a Captain with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for three years. Once his service ended, he turned down a job with NASA working on the lunar rover program to join the Portland Cement Association (PCA). “I actually had offers for more money to do other things, but I felt that the offer from the PCA was exactly in line with what I’d been trained to do, and was my best opportunity,” Corley said in a 2011 interview.

Once PCA’s research and development laboratory spun off into the independent subsidiary Construction Technology Laboratories (later renamed CTLGroup in 2005), Corley was directly involved in the development of improved design procedures for structural concrete, concrete pavement, railroads and structures related to fire loads. He also served on earthquake damage investigation teams, conducted investigations of damaged or deteriorated structures, and developed repair procedures for buildings and bridges. A career-long advocate for codes and standards, Corley chaired the ACI Committee 318 for six years as the committee developed the 1995 Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete, and served on several other national and international committees that developed recommendations for safer structural and earthquake designs for buildings and bridges.

In addition to being an ICC Member, Corley served in leadership roles for the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations (NCSEA), the Structural Engineers Association of Illinois (SEAOI), the Illinois Structural Engineering Board, the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying, and the ASCE/SEI Technical Council on Forensic Engineering. Corley was among the individuals responsible for forming the NCSEA in 1993.

Corley is survived by his wife of 53 years, Lynd, three children and nine grandchildren.

“Gene’s legacy in the structural engineering profession is unparalleled,” said CTLGroup President and CEO Jeffrey L. Garrett. “He was an innovative thought leader who consistently contributed generous amounts of his time and knowledge to the profession.”

Read more industry reaction to Corley’s passing:

STRUCTURE magazine—The Structural Engineering Community Mourns the Loss of an Innovative Leader

Chicago Tribune—Engineer Who Investigated WTC Collapse Was Son of a Small-Town Contractor

Engineering News-Record—Structural Engineer W. Gene Corley, 77, Led High-Profile Collapse Investigations

Obituary, Shelbyville Daily Union