[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 161 (Friday, August 19, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55474-55475]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-19868]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-5957-N-01]


User Fee Schedule for the Technical Suitability of Products 
Program--Revisions in the User Fees Assessed to Manufacturers of 
Materials and Products

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Housing--Federal Housing 
Commissioner, HUD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice revises the User Fee Schedule for the Technical 
Suitability of Products program published as a notice along with a 
final rule on August 9, 1984, and later revised in notices published on 
January 22, 1985, August 1, 1990, and May 1, 1997. This revised 
schedule increases fees and amends the fee schedule stated in the May 
1, 1997 notice.

DATES: Effective date: September 19, 2016.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Pamela Beck Danner, Administrator, 
Office of Manufactured Housing Programs, Department of Housing and 
Urban Development, Room 9168, 451 7th Street SW., Washington, DC 20410; 
email [email protected] or telephone (202) 708-6423. (This is not a toll-
free number.) Persons with hearing or speech impairments may access 
this number via TTY by calling the Federal Information Relay Service at 
(800) 877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the authority of Section 7(j) of the 
Department of Housing and Urban Development Act (42 U.S.C. 3535(j)), 
which permits the Department to ``establish fees and charges for 
inspection, project review and financing service, . . . and other 
beneficial rights, privileges, licenses, and services'' it provides, 
the Department issued a final rule on August 9, 1984 (49 FR 31854), 
codified at 24 CFR 200.934, establishing a system of fees to be charged 
to manufacturers of products and materials used on structures approved 
for mortgages or loans insured under the National Housing Act (12 
U.S.C. 1701 et seq.). Products and materials used in structures are 
approved via the Technical Suitability of Products (TSP) program under 
the authority of section 521 of the National Housing Act, 12 U.S.C. 
1735e.
    Under the rule, manufacturers that seek HUD acceptance of their 
materials and products under the TSP program will be charged fees for 
initial applications, renewals, and revisions with respect to review of 
documentation demonstrating technical suitability. Paragraph (c) of 24 
CFR 200.934 provides, in relevant part, that the Department will 
``establish and amend'' the fee schedule by publication of a notice in 
the Federal Register.
    The Department has not amended the present fee schedule since May 
1, 1997 (62 FR 23783). Income received as a

[[Page 55475]]

result of the present User Fee Schedule does not maintain the current 
minimum level of support for the ongoing TSP program and requires 
adjustment to maintain the integrity and effectiveness of the program. 
A fee increase is necessary for the following reasons: (1) To maintain 
partial recovery of program costs, since fees have not been adjusted 
for nearly 20 years; (2) to compensate the Department more adequately 
for the significant labor involved in processing ``revisions,'' which 
require substantially more work than ``renewals''; (3) to bring the 
Department's fees more in line with, although significantly lower than, 
other similarly-missioned nationally recognized technical evaluation 
programs (such as the International Code Council Evaluation Service); 
and (4) to recognize the fact that TSP renewals are for a 3-year 
period, which is a longer duration than provided by other nationally 
recognized evaluation programs.
    Accordingly, notice is hereby given that the Department is revising 
the fee schedule published in the notice of May 1, 1997 (62 FR 23783), 
as set forth below. Note that the Department is discontinuing issuance 
of State Letters of Acceptance (SLA) and Mechanical Engineering 
Bulletins (MEB). This modification reflects a change in Departmental 
procedures which authorized the Department's State Offices to issue 
SLAs; MEBs, which covers separate utility cores or nonstandard 
mechanical systems, i.e. modular utility cores, kitchens and baths, are 
no longer issued by HUD under the TSP program. This notice also 
clarifies that the revision and basic renewal fees apply to Structural 
Engineering Bulletins (SEBs) and Materials Releases (MRs).
    The complete fee schedule, as revised, is as follows:

(i) Initial Applications

    Structural Engineering Bulletins (SEBs)--$6,000.
    Materials Releases (MRs)--$6,000.
    Use of Materials Bulletins--Administrator Review for Acceptance 
(ARAs)--$4,400.

(ii) Revisions

    Structural Engineering Bulletins (SEBs)--$3,000.
    Materials Releases (MRs)--$3,000.

(iii) Basic Renewal Fee Without Revision

    The following fee schedule, as revised, will be assessed every 
three years for renewal without change:
    Structural Engineering Bulletins (SEBs)--$1,200.
    Materials Releases (MRs)--$1,200.

    Authority: Sections 7 (d) and (j), Department of Housing and 
Urban Development Act, 42 U.S.C. 3535 (d) and (j), and 24 CFR 
200.934(c).

    Dated: August 11, 2016.
Janet M. Golrick,
Associate General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Housing.
[FR Doc. 2016-19868 Filed 8-18-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-67-P