Senate Approves UCC Reform Measure

Legislation intended to cut confusion, shorten approval process

While the "one-size fits all" approach may work for some clothing items, the Commonwealth is learning that it doesn't work for building codes, so the Senate today passed legislation to further amend the statewide Uniform Construction Code, according to Senator Don White, R-41st District, who voted for the measure.

House Bill 881 could be the second set of revisions to the UCC enacted this year if the House concurs with the Senate's amendments and the measure is signed into law. The UCC was signed into law as Act 45 of 1999.

"As time passes, we are finding that the UCC is creating problems for some people," Senator White said. "The concept behind the UCC is sound. We need to make sure that contractors meet requirements and that buildings are constructed with a focus on safety. However, as it currently stands, there is an extensive amount of confusion caused by different interpretations of the code and those problems are compounded by the lengthy appeals process."

Specific provisions within House Bill 881 would:

Require that plans for one and two family dwelling units be approved within five business days if they are prepared by a design professional who is licensed/registered in the Commonwealth. If certified, they must meet the requirements of the UCC.
Require that Board of Appeals hearings are held within 30 days in the case of an appeal or request for variance or extension of time involving the construction of a one-family or two-family residential building. It also requires that the board render a decision within five business days of the last hearing.
Limit filing fees for appeals of code administrator's decisions to actual administrative costs of appeal.
Amend the current law to state that construction code officials/boards of appeal/courts must rely upon relevant written interpretations of the Uniform Construction Code, or any municipal construction code ordinance, when they interpret provisions of the UCC.
Amend the law to exclude structures "used to grow mushrooms" from the UCC by adding the term into definition of "agricultural building" (which are excluded from UCC).

Act 108 of 2006, approved as Senate Bill 1179 – a measure co-sponsored by Senator White, made the following changes to the UCC earlier this year:

Excludes from UCC requirements the installation of aluminum or vinyl siding on existing residential and commercial buildings.
Allows a code administrator to act in place of a lumber grading and inspection agency for lumber used in residential buildings.
Extends the religious exemption to include lumber or wood provisions applicable to single family homes and one-room schoolhouses.
Relieves coal-fired residential boilers from the requirement that they carry an ASME stamp.

Contact:

Joe Pittman
(717) 787-8724