Approved inspection agency: means a person, organization or local government approved by the commissioner to be especially qualified by reason of facilities, personnel, experience, and demonstrated reliability, to investigate, test, evaluate and inspect modular building units, systems, or the component parts of modular building units together with the plans, specifications, and quality control procedures to ensure that such units, systems, or component parts are in full compliance with the standards adopted by the commissioner pursuant to this part and to label such units complying with those standards. See Tennessee Code 68-126-303
Installation: means the assembly of modular building units on-site and/or the process of affixing modular building-related components to land, a foundation, footings, utilities, or an existing building. See Tennessee Code 68-126-303
Local government: means any political subdivision of this state with authority to establish standards and requirements applicable to the construction, installation, alteration and repairs of buildings. See Tennessee Code 68-126-303
Modular building unit: means a structural unit, or preassembled component unit, including the necessary electrical, plumbing, heating, ventilating and other service systems, manufactured off-site and transported to the point of use for installation or erection, with or without other specified components, as a finished building. See Tennessee Code 68-126-303
State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(1) After the effective date of the rules adopted pursuant to this part, no modular building unit shall be offered for sale, sold, or installed in this state, unless it is approved and bears the insignia of approval of the commissioner, the commissioner’s designee, or an approved inspection agency.(2) All modular building units manufactured in this state, or intended to be offered for sale, sold, or installed in this state, shall be inspected by the commissioner, the commissioner’s designee, or an approved inspection agency, at the place of manufacture of the modular building unit.(b)(1) No local standard relating to the construction or installation of modular building units shall be applicable to any modular building unit subject to this part, unless such standard is identical to that set by the commissioner pursuant to § 68-126-302.(2) Any modular building unit bearing an insignia of approval issued by the commissioner, the commissioner’s designee, or an approved inspection agency pursuant to this part, shall be deemed to comply with any local standard relating to the construction of modular building units.(3) Subject to subdivision (b)(1), a local government may make, and charge a fee for, an inspection of the installation of a modular building unit. Such fee shall be equal to the amount charged for a similar inspection on conventionally built housing.(4) Local land use and zoning requirements, fire zones, building setback requirements, side and rear yard requirements, subdivision control, as well as the review and regulation of aesthetic requirements, are specifically and entirely reserved to local government. Such local requirements and rules that may be enacted by a local government must be reasonable and uniformly applied and enforced without any distinction as to whether a building is a conventionally constructed or modular building.(5) Modular building units bearing an insignia of approval issued by the commissioner, the commissioner’s designee, or an approved inspection agency pursuant to this part shall not be modified prior to or during installation, except in conformance with the rules of the commissioner.
