The National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) has announced the formation of a specialized work group to develop a Housing System Certification Program Standard, signaling a potential transformation in how residential construction is regulated nationwide. 

Launched December 13, 2025, in partnership with industry collaborator MOD X, the initiative aims to deliver a pilot-ready program specification by the end of 2026. This milestone would enable early trials with progressive Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs) and system providers. The volunteer-driven partnership underscores a shared industry commitment to modernizing the approval and regulatory process for housing.

Unlike the prevailing model, in which residential buildings are permitted as one-off, site-specific projects, the proposed certification program treats homes as complete systems or products, similar to regulatory frameworks for automobiles and aircraft. Under this model, projects built with certified systems would be permitted and inspected against the system-level certification, greatly simplifying the current process. The overall goal is to improve how jurisdictions evaluate repeatable, configurable housing systems while providing a code pathway for increasing the supply, affordability and resilience of U.S. housing.

“Most housing is still permitted as one-off buildings under prescriptive, fragmented codes, even when delivered using offsite methods,” said George Guszcza, President and CEO of NIBS. “Under the proposed system, projects built with certified housing systems would be permitted and inspected against the system certification rather than the full prescriptive code, significantly reducing permitting and inspection time and project-level design and engineering costs.”

Beyond accelerating approvals, the Housing System Certification Program is expected to create opportunities for pre-qualified, performance-verified solutions. Certified systems could help owners, developers, and municipalities access incentive programs, grants, and awards through shorter, more predictable review cycles, thereby expanding the impact of industrialized and offsite construction innovations.

“In practical terms, Housing System Certification aims to support reduced redundancy for repeat deployments, clearer verification and accountability, more predictable review and inspection workflows enabling more consistent outcomes across jurisdictions, and greater confidence for lenders, insurers, and owners through verifiable evidence and repeatable quality processes”, said Ivan Rupnik, Founding Partner of MOD X. 

The initiative is guided by an expert steering committee representing diverse leadership across the Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Operations (AECO) and manufacturing sectors. Committee members include:

• Dennis Michaud, Managing Director of Offsite Solutions at Saint-Gobain CertainTeed
• Vikas Enti, CEO of Reframe Systems
• Cindy Davis, former Director of Virginia’s State Building Code Office

NIBS is represented by George Guszcza and Stephanie Stubbs, Vice President of NIBS. MOD X’s representation includes Founding Partners Ivan Rupnik and Ryan E. Smith and Managing Partner Tyler Schmetterer.

A 16-person Technical Committee composed of prominent experts from design, engineering, construction, and manufacturing will support the development of the standard and ensure broad industry alignment. The initiative is informed by extensive research conducted by MOD X on innovative regulatory reforms piloted in the U.S. and subsequently refined and scaled internationally, including in Sweden and Japan.

NIBS and MOD X invite inquiries from potential future pilot participants including AHJs, state industrialized building programs, housing system providers, developers, lenders, insurers, and other stakeholders who want to support credible, performance-based pathways for scaling housing.