News
BDA Program Attracts ICC Members
The IAS Building Department Accreditation (BDA) program, the first nationally recognized accreditation program for building departments, is attracting attention from ICC member building jurisdictions. In the last 12 months alone, IAS received applications for accreditation from 22 jurisdictions in 17 states nationwide! As Project Coordinator of the IAS BDA program, Kellee Lostaunau says, "Based on this response we realize that the IAS BDA program has attracted tremendous interest by communities and building departments responsible for implementing and enforcing building codes. IAS is reacting to this outpouring of interest by recruiting and training practicing building officials that will participate on IAS teams and travel to the various jurisdictions to conduct the onsite evaluations. IAS intends to meet the challenges of this new program by quickly responding to our building department applicants and scheduling onsite evaluations in a timely manner."
Lostaunau schedules and manages evaluation team visits to applicants' building departments. The program requires the IAS evaluation team members to spend an average of seven days on site in the applicant's jurisdiction observing and evaluating—two days during the pre-evaluation visit and five days during the full evaluation. In addition, IAS conducts a two-day surveillance visit to all newly accredited building departments at the conclusion of the first year.
"With 22 applications pending, and two accredited building departments still within the first year of the program, that's 158 days to be spent in on-site evaluations!" emphasizes Lostaunau. "It's an exciting time of growth and a credit to building departments across the country that challenge themselves to reach a higher standard for the communities they serve."
To learn more about Building Department Accreditation, please call Lostaunau at (562) 699-0541, ext. 3309, or send her an e-mail at klostaunau@iasonline.org.