HB 1387 - AS INTRODUCED
2024 SESSION
24-2479
02/08
HOUSE BILL 1387
AN ACT relative to revisions to the state building code.
SPONSORS: Rep. C. McGuire, Merr. 27; Rep. O'Brien, Hills. 10; Rep. Erf, Hills. 28; Sen. Pearl, Dist 17; Sen. Gendreau, Dist 1
COMMITTEE: Executive Departments and Administration
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ANALYSIS
This bill updates the state building code and state building code review board.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
24-2479
02/08
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Four
AN ACT relative to revisions to the state building code.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Accessibility Standards for Public Buildings. Amend the introductory paragraph of RSA 155-A:5-a, II to read as follows:
II. Except as provided in paragraph III, the contractor shall obtain and submit to the owner of the public building, and to the governing body of the municipality, a written certification from a person qualified under RSA 155-A:5-b that:
2 State Building Code Review Board; Fire Protection Engineer. Amend RSA 155-A:10, I(c) to read as follows:
(c) One mechanical engineer, or fire protection engineer, licensed in this state for a minimum of 5 years, nominated by the board of professional engineers established in RSA 310-A:3.
3 State Building Code Review Board; Alternate Member Term Length. Amend RSA 155-A:10, II to read as follows:
II. The term of each member shall be 3 years. The chair of the board shall be appointed by the commissioner of safety after meeting with the board. Board members shall be appointed for no more than 3 consecutive 3-year terms. The board shall elect from among the members a vice-chair, who shall assume the responsibilities of the chair in the event of the chair's absence. Each appointing authority may appoint one alternate member, qualified as defined in subparagraphs I(a) through (p), who shall serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority. The term of each alternate member shall be 3 years.
4 State Building Code Review Board; Review of Application of Building Code. Amend the introductory paragraph of RSA 155-A:10, IV and RSA 155-A:10, IV(a) to read as follows:
IV. The board shall meet to review and assess the application of the state building code and shall recommend legislation, as the board deems necessary, to amend the requirements of the state building code in order to provide consistency with the application of other laws, rules, or regulations, to avoid undue economic impacts on the public by considering the relative increase or decrease in cost of such amendments, and to promote public safety and best practices.
(a) The board shall review a newer version of a code [that has been published for 2 years], and shall provide a summary of all significant changes, cost estimates of these changes, and documentation of the need for the change in any recommended legislation.
5 Energy Code Compliance Form. Amend RSA 155-A:10-a to read as follows:
155-A:10-a Energy Code Compliance Form. The state building code review board shall prescribe by [rule] amendment and make available to the public, in electronic formats, a simplified residential energy code compliance form based upon the energy provisions in the International Residential Code and the International Energy Conservation Code identified in RSA 155-A:1. The correctly completed form shall be accepted by all code enforcement authorities within the state of New Hampshire as one method of verification that the applicable project meets the code requirements. Completed compliance forms shall be submitted to the building official in those municipalities that have adopted an enforcement mechanism under RSA 674:51. For municipalities without an adopted code enforcement mechanism, completed compliance forms shall be submitted to the New Hampshire department of energy, on behalf of the building code review board, for verification that the applicable project meets the code requirements. The department of energy shall then forward the reviewed compliance forms to the municipality for retention in property records.
6 Appeal of Decisions. Amend RSA 155-A:11-a, I to read as follows:
I. The board shall hear appeals of final decisions of the electricians' board established under RSA 319-C:4, the board of home inspectors established under RSA 310-A:186, and the mechanical licensing board established under RSA 153:27-a.
7 Repeal. The following are repealed:
I. RSA 155-A:2, V, relative to county and local authority to amend state building code.
II. RSA 155-A:3-a, relative to biomass burning boilers.
III. RSA 155-A:3-b, relative to log structures.
IV. RSA 155-A:10, IV(e), relative to state building code review board appeals.
8 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.