In late December, the Washington Department of Labor and Industries filed an emergency rule addressing what it called deficiencies in the Factory Assembled Structure RV and park model RV (PMRV) plan approval program.
Although the new plan review and submittal guidelines for RVs and Park Model RVs were released in January, RVIA stated manufacturers were left with several process questions. RVIA’s state government affairs and standards teams have been in contact with department to receive additional clarification.
According to plan approval program leaders, RVIA stated there is only one employee assigned to reviewing RV and PMRV floorplans, causing an increasing backlog. The new process hopes to reduce the backlog by decreasing the number of plans requiring Department of Labor and Industries’ review.
Before the emergency rule, the plan approval program had a backlog of over 2,000 floorplans and designs for RVs, PMRVs and buildings. Floorplan approval is a legal requirement for RV sales in Washington state. The new rule allows floorplans to be reviewed by “Licensed Professionals,” or state-approved architects and engineers, RVIA stated.
The emergency rule did not specify which firms would be authorized to review and approve plans, RVIA stated, but the department provided RVIA more information, including a list of firms approved to complete plan approval.
Manufacturers who choose to submit their plans through a licensed professional will directly approach the firm for review. The manufacturer can use the licensed professional as an “agent” to submit the plans on behalf of the manufacturer, if the manufacturer choses to do so.
RVIA stated its state government affairs team is still engaging with the department over the backlog and will update members on changes. For more information, members can contact RVIA Senior Manager of Government Affairs Nick Rudowich at [email protected].
