The Pennsylvania industrialized housing act initially included the approval and certification of structural insulated panel components as there were no alternative evaluation or inspection processes that were provided to assure compliance to the applicable building codes. Currently manufacturers of these types of products are now being evaluated and inspected by agencies with an ISO (International Organization for Standardization) / IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) accreditation.
As a result, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development has made a procedural change regarding the certification of SIP components falling under the DCED Program. ICC-ES is a Pennsylvania Approved Third-Party Agency that can verify compliance for SIP components under the DCED program.
SIP manufacturers who construct these components and have an evaluation report verifying compliance to the applicable (local) codes by an ISO / IEC 17065 accredited agency like ICC-ES, the component will no longer fall under the DCED industrialized program and will not be required to receive a DCED insignia of certification. The local design professional will need to include the evaluation report with their designs (similar to an engineered roof truss) and obtain a licensed Pennsylvania engineer seal, like a typical site-built structure, acceptable to the local authority having jurisdiction. Therefore, these products will not fall under the exemption of the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code (PA UCC).
PLEASE NOTE: If a manufacturer of structural insulated panels (SIPs) designs and constructs an entire structure, residential or commercial, the manufacturer will continue to fall under the authority of the PA industrialized housing act and will be required to be evaluated and inspected by the DCED third-party agency and apply the appropriate DCED insignia of certification and will remain exempt under the PA UCC.