HB 1385 removed the height limit for industrialized housing and buildings regulated by the Department, buildings taller than four stories or 60 feet are now regulated by the Department. Manufacturers are required to complete a certification update if they wish to construct modules or modular components that are outside the scope of their existing certification.
HB 2546 gives manufacturers and builders the option to construct single-family industrialized housing in accordance with certain local amendments to the statewide energy code in Texas for single-family residential construction. Those local amendments or alternative compliance paths must be requested by a municipality, county, or group of counties in the climate zone where the housing will be located and must be determined by the Energy Systems Laboratory at Texas A&M University to be equally or more stringent than the statewide energy code. The bill also required manufacturers and builders to make available all documentation necessary to evaluate the industrialized housing. The adopted rules require manufacturers to send design review agencies information on the local amendments or alternative compliance paths to which the manufacturer will construct a modular home.
The adoption justification was published in the March 6, 2020, issue of the Texas Register (45 Tex Reg 1674). The updated rule chapter will be made available upon its effective date of March 15, 2020.