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Pennsylvania House of Representatives
04/19/2024 10:11 PM
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=H&SPick=20150&cosponId=18996
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House of Representatives
Session of 2015 - 2016 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: September 22, 2015 02:14 PM
From: Representative Kate Harper
To: All House members
Subject: Updating Pennsylvania’s Uniform Construction Code (UCC)
 
After several years of a statewide building code and an inability to deal with updates when new international building codes are issued, I am introducing legislation to address that issue of updating Pennsylvania’s Uniform Construction Code (UCC). The current process, in the words of the UCC Review and Advisory Council (RAC) itself, “if the RAC reviews and adopts code provisions in accordance with the current UCC, it would result in a construction code which is impossible to comply with or enforce.” Pennsylvania cannot go on without a functioning mechanism to update its building codes without harm to the safety, economy and environment of Pennsylvania.

My bill will:
  • Clarify the ambiguous statutory language that crippled the 2015 code review, allowing the RAC to review any changes from the existing UCC to the code edition under review.
  • Create a consensus-based process for code adoption, with a mediation panel for fair resolution of disputes about specific code provisions. This will prevent the “all or nothing” approach to code adoption we have seen over the last three cycles.
  • Ensure technical consistency of the codes by switching from an “opt-in” (provisions must be inserted into the old code) to an “opt-out” process (provisions are removed from the new code edition). The consensus/mediation process will ensure that codes are not adopted “automatically” or without proper consideration.
  • Include representatives from the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and the Public Utility Commission on the RAC to ensure that our building codes support our natural disaster resiliency and energy efficiency policies.
  • Require the RAC to re-review the 2015 codes based on the clarified statutory language and expedited process.
These changes are critical to ensure that code review and adoption are performed efficiently and in the way that is best for Pennsylvania. Up-to-date codes are important to ensure that Pennsylvania does not have a substandard building stock. They are also one of the most cost-effective tools to prevent costly damage to our constituents’ homes from natural disasters, like floods.

Introduced as HB1645