The industry is one comment period away from finally being counted (deadline Aug 12)
The classification committee left the restoration code out of its proposed recommendations, leaving the August 12 comment period as the opening.
IICRC filed comments backing RIA's push for a dedicated federal industry code (NAICS 624231, Emergency Restoration Services) to separate rapid-response mitigation (water extraction, structural drying, fire/smoke, microbial, contents) from general construction. The Economic Classification Policy Committee acknowledged the request on July 13 but did NOT include the code in its proposed recommendations. Public comment runs through August 12, 2026 (Regulations.gov docket USBC-2026-0133), with any NAICS changes landing in 2027.
Why it matters
Right now the government literally can't measure the industry: how many shops, how many workers, how much payroll, what the safety record is. No code means no data, which means no leverage in disaster policy, workforce funding, or regulatory fights. A code is the industry's first real seat at the table.
The read
The associations are calling this a milestone, and the committee already left the code out of its proposed recommendations once. That makes it a fight, not a milestone, and the outcome turns on how many operators actually file. Two minutes on the docket before the twelfth is the cheapest advocacy available to you. File the comment, then tell three other owners in your market to do it.
What changed
Storyline: naics recognition
What changed ECPC's July 13 notice acknowledged but declined to include the code; a live Aug 12 public-comment window now decides it.
Read next
Sources C&R Magazine, www.candrmagazine.com/industry-leaders-urge-… (published )
Association (trade outlet reporting IICRC/RIA advocacy) High confidence
Terms in this story: IICRC