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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2021 - 2022
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | March 25, 2021 10:32 AM |
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| From: | Representative Jason Silvis |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Pennsylvania Construction Code Transparency |
| In the near future I will be introducing legislation to enhance transparency and consistency for individuals dealing with the PA Construction Codes by requiring items listed for improvement be provided to the applicant electronically, or in writing, and shall include the specific subsection of the code which is being cited. This best practice is already happening with some inspectors and expanding the requirement ensures professionalism and consistent treatment for all applicants. Although most code officials are helpful, I have received complaints from property owners, builders and entrepreneurs regarding inspectors giving verbal requirements for construction changes or general statements on items needing to be corrected in their plans without supporting citations. The applicant is unable to dispute the assertion, get a building permit to start their project or an occupancy permit to open their business. Current UCC regulations do require a code administrator to provide reasons for plan denial during plan review; however, the regulations are unclear that “citations” be specifically of the sections of the relevant codes and there is no requirement to provide the specific standard during site inspections required during construction and prior to issuance of occupancy permit. Currently, multiple layers of building codes can create a challenging and complex set of rules which can be difficult to navigate. For persons who are not professional builders, attempting to complete a home or business can be frustrating because they pay fees for plan review/inspections and may not receive clear expectations for correction. This legislation simply establishes a minim standard of professionalism that most code officials already follow. Please join me in co-sponsoring this piece of legislation. |
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| View Attachment | ||
Introduced as HB1790