MEA

MEA Stands for "Materials and Equipment Acceptance"

Quoted from the DOB Website:
"In accordance with Section 27-131 of the New York City Building Code, certain materials and equipment require Department of Buildings acceptance. These manufactured items affect public safety, health and welfare (including structural stability and fire safety) and are usually a permanent part of a building. They include such items as boilers, air-conditioning equipment, commercial cooking equipment, fire-rated assemblies, fire alarm and suppression equipment, wheelchair lifts, etc. The actual list of accepted products to date is known as the MEA Index (see below for further information).

Established in 1969, the Materials and Equipment Acceptance (MEA) Division was created under Department Rule 1-01 to implement the Code requirement and ensure that certain permanent building materials and equipment meet the minimum national standards required by the Building Code. The unit also reviews the qualifications of testing laboratories and testing services for acceptance by the Department.

It is the responsibility of the manufacturer to obtain MEA acceptance for his or her product. The manufacturer can download the MEA Application Package for detailed information regarding the process. The applicant is required to provide a typewritten description of the product, include photographs, drawings, schematics, and marketing materials, fill out the acceptance application form MEA-1, and provide a compact disk with draft language for the final acceptance document (form MEA-3) as he or she would like to see it.

In addition, the product must be tested by a Department-accepted testing laboratory or testing service to ensure that the product conforms to the Code-required standard. The manufacturer must provide a sample of his or her product to the testing laboratory or testing service for the test, pay the required fee, and at the completion of the test have the laboratory fill out the testing form MEA-2. All three completed forms, the product data, the test reports and the application fee comprise the application. (For photoluminescents, click here for additional application information.)

Materials and equipment affecting fire safety are also subject to review by the Fire Department of New York. For these applications, an exact copy of the entire application except the fee must be submitted simultaneously to the Fire Department.

All manufacturers that receive product acceptance from MEA are given an MEA number for the product and provided a copy of the report (also called resolution), which lists the model number(s) and describes the material, assembly or equipment and any conditions of the acceptance. Recent MEA numbers may be found at MEA Index or MEA Report online, and the entire listing through March 31, 2004, is available at the New York CityStore.

It is the building owner's responsibility to ensure that all materials and equipment used in the construction of his or her building have MEA numbers where required by Code. If a building owner uses a piece of equipment or material that requires an MEA number but does not have one, he or she is subject to a violation."