RVIA sticker

JaxDad wrote:

Dutch_12078 wrote:

JaxDad wrote:

Dutch_12078 wrote:

JaxDad wrote:

SCVJeff wrote:

steve-n-vicki wrote:
I have stayed at a campground that required you to have the RVIA seal, no seal no stay

Where?

Legally, probably everywhere. In practice I doubt it's checked very often.

There is no state or federal law requiring an RV to have an RVIA sticker. A park can require one of course, since it's their park and their rules. I have stayed at a couple of parks over the years with it in their rules, but no one has ever asked about it or looked for it at check in.

While from a purely technical point of view, an "RVIA" sticker isn't required, the certification of compliance with the NFPA standards it represents IS required.

If an RV manufacturer wished to have some other accredited body certify the vehicles compliance with the required minimum standards for life safety it would be acceptable.

Please provide a link to any regulation that requires a "certification" that an RV meets NFPA standards. Even most RV's WITH an RVIA sticker are self-certified by the manufacturer, with only random checks by the RVIA inspectors. The NFPA does not set national or state standards for anything. Instead, they write standards that governments MAY adopt as written or may modify as they see fit. ANSI standards fall in the same category. NHTSA regulations and requirements for RV's and other highway vehicles, on the other hand, are codified in US law.

Just as an example, below is a link to a brochure from the State of Idaho's Division of Building Safety.

Idaho Life Safety Regulations Brochure

In it the preamble states "All structures built for use as a dwelling place, including “tiny houses”, must fall into one of the following classifications and are required to comply with the requirements for that classification."

Then further on, in the case of RV's it says "Recreational Vehicles - The Idaho Transportation Department regulates RVs as vehicles for title and licensing purposes through your county vehicle licensing agency. Their width is limited to 81?2 feet and temporary recreational lodging is the only legal use. The placement and occupancy of RVs is regulated by local planning and zoning ordinances.

RVs must comply with American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Standard A119.2 for Recreational Vehicles or ANSI A119.5 Standards for Park Trailers (IC§39-4202). The Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) issues an insignia for compliant RVs and Park Trailers."

Just like with electrical safety and the NEC and the building code, life safety standards under the various State and Provincial regulations all refer back national standards. You can find similar requirements in each jurisdiction.

Per your PM requesting that I comment further on this forgotten two week old thread, yes, you did post a link to a brochure that lists an ANSI compliance requirement for RV's, although not the "NFPA certification" requirement that I asked for. The brochure also implies that the RVIA issues an "insignia" for all compliant RV's, which is not the case, since only RVIA member manufacturers are allowed to purchase the self-certification stickers for their products. Non-members need only self-certify compliance, with no third-party needed.

In reference to the NEC and other NFPA articles, while most states/municipalities do adopt them intact, there is no requirement that they do so. There are many instances where local building codes vary from the NFPA articles. I haven't checked in years, but NY City building codes for example, did not permit the use of PVC or other plastic water or waste lines, allowing only copper and cast iron. The use of "Romex" type jacketed wiring was also not permitted, with only wiring encased in metal conduit allowed. That may have changed, but there are many examples where local building codes differ from the NFPA articles.

I hope that clarifies the "RVIA sticker" status from my perspective for you, and I don't expect to comment further on the issue. Thank you for bringing my lack of a response to my attention...