For Immediate Release: October 30, 2017
Published by: AIA Pennsylvania Government Affairs Team
Contact: Amal Mahrouki, amahrouki@aiapa.org, 717-236-4055
After two legislative sessions, Pennsylvania is a step closer to building code updates.
On October 25, 2017, Governor Wolf signed HB 409 into law, creating Act 36 of 2017, a move applauded by AIA Pennsylvania. “This piece of legislation represents a compromise between numerous stakeholders and what AIA Pennsylvania advocated for as a step in the right direction for updates and code adoption in the Commonwealth,” said AIA Pennsylvania Executive Director, Stephen Swarney, J.D., on the passage of the bill.
Act 36 of 2017 will significantly change the code review and Uniform Construction Code adoption process for the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry’s Review and Advisory Council, currently chaired by Maureen Guttman, AIA.
Effective immediately, The City of Philadelphia is authorized to adopt the 2018 International Code Council (ICC) Commercial codes through a City Council ordinance. The Review and Advisory Council is now authorized to conduct a re-review of the 2015 ICC Model Codes to start within the next 30 days.
All of the recommendations of the Review and Advisory Council and regulations promulgated by the department as a result after the 2015 ICC Code re-review will supersede any previous council decisions and will become effective October 1, 2018.
Other key provisions of the bill include:
– A limit of six months from when a contract for design or construction can be used after the adoption of new codes and inspected under prior codes.
– An increase for UCC permit fees from $4.00 to $4.50.
– The Department of Labor and Industry to issue a Pennsylvania Custom Code Book.
-The establishment of Technical Advisory Committees to review specific portions of the triennial ICC code updates.
AIA Pennsylvania remains an influential leader regarding building codes and the UCC in the Commonwealth. While we are adding this to our list of legislative wins for this session, we will continue to fight for more comprehensive and aggressive code adoption for all of Pennsylvanians in the future. We continue to support a three-year review cycle, an opt-out process, and uniformity for the entire state for the health, safety, and welfare of the public.
For additional details regarding the passage of HB 409 please contact AIA Pennsylvania’s Director of Legislative Affairs, Amal Mahrouki at amahrouki@aiapa.org.