“Portable" Classroom Construction Rules Adopted - New Rules Effective January 1, 2010
January 6, 2010
For Immediate Release
Contact: Susan Stanford
512-463-3208
AUSTIN - Relocatable educational facilities (REF), also called “portable” classrooms, were added January 1, 2010, to the list of Industrialized Housing and Building (IHB) structures regulated by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) under Chapter 1202 of the Occupations Code.
Many “portable” classrooms are constructed on-site at a school in a manner that allows them to be easily moved in the future. The previous IHB law only covered housing and buildings constructed at a manufacturing facility, but as of January 1, 2010, Chapter 1202 recognizes a REF constructed at the school as a portable modular building and requires that units purchased or leased on or after January 1, 2010, comply with all IHB requirements.
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation encourages all school boards, administrators, principals and facility supervisors to familiarize themselves with the new rules before purchasing or leasing a REF or any other portable building.
The rules adopted and effective January 1, 2010, include:
- General contractors responsible for the construction of new site-built REFs are required to register with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation as a “REF builder.”
- REF construction documents must be reviewed and approved by a design review agency approved by the Texas Industrialized Building Code Council (Council) and registered with TDLR.
- REFs constructed on a site in a municipality with a building inspection department must be inspected by the municipality’s inspectors.
- REFs constructed on a site outside the jurisdiction of a municipality, or in a municipality with no building inspection department, must be inspected by inspectors approved by the Council.
Finally, these buildings must pass a final inspection performed by either the municipality or a Council approved inspector and receive a certification decal from TDLR before being occupied.
For more information regarding IHB law please contact: industrialized.buildings@tdlr.texas.gov or call 512-539-5735.###