2011-28008. Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Comment Request; New Construction Subterranean Termite Protection for New Homes

AGENCY:

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Housing, HUD.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The proposed information collection requirement described below will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. The Department is soliciting public comments on the subject proposal.

DATES:

Comments Due Date: December 27, 2011.

ADDRESSES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding this proposal. Comments should refer to the proposal by name and/or OMB Control Number and should be sent to: Reports Liaison Officer, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20410, Room 9120 or the number for the Federal Information Relay Service (1-[phone]).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Karin Hill, Director, Office of Single Family Program Development, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20410, telephone [phone] (this is not a toll free number) for copies of the proposed forms and other available information.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Department is submitting the proposed information collection to OMB for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35, as amended).

This Notice is soliciting comments from members of the public and affected agencies concerning the proposed collection of information to: (1) Evaluate whether the proposed collection is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (3) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond; including the use of appropriate automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.

Title of Proposal: Subterranean Termite Protection for New Homes.

OMB Control Number, if applicable: 2502-0525.

Description of the need for the information and proposed use: HUD regulations at 24 CFR 200.926d(b)(3) require that the sites for HUD insured structures must be free of termite hazards. The HUD-NPCA-99-A requires the builder to certify that all required treatment for termites was performed by an authorized pest control company and further that the builder guarantees the treated area against infestation for one year. The form HUD-NPCA-99-B requires a licensed pest control company to provide to the builder a record of specific treatment information in those cases when the soil treatment method is used for prevention of subterranean termite infestation. When applicable the HUD-NPCA-99-B must accompany the HUD-NPCA-99-A. If the requested data is not collected, new home purchasers and HUD are subject to the risk of purchasing or insuring a home that could be immediately infested by termites and would have no recourse against the builder.

Agency form numbers, if applicable: HUD NPMA-99-A and HUD NPMA-99-B.

Estimation of the total numbers of hours needed to prepare the information collection including number of respondents, frequency of response, and hours of response: The number of burden hours is 9,990. The number of respondents is 15,000, the number of responses is 30,000, the frequency of response is on occasion, and the burden hour per response is .083 and .25 respectively.

Status of the proposed information collection: This is an extension of a previously approved collection.

Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C., chapter 35, as amended.

Dated: October 21, 2011.

Ronald Y. Spraker,

Acting General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Housing—Associate Deputy Federal Housing Commissioner.