HOUSE BILL No. 5287

October 12, 2005, Introduced by Reps. Bieda and Gleason and referred to the Committee on Regulatory Reform.

 

     A bill to amend 1972 PA 230, entitled

 

"Stille-DeRossett-Hale single state construction code act,"

 

by amending sections 4 and 10 (MCL 125.1504 and 125.1510), section

 

4 as amended by 2004 PA 584 and section 10 as amended by 1999 PA

 

245.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 4. (1) The director shall prepare and promulgate the

 

state construction code consisting of rules governing the

 

construction, use, and occupation of buildings and structures,

 

including land area incidental to the buildings and structures, the

 

manufacture and installation of building components and equipment,

 

the construction and installation of premanufactured units, the

 

standards and requirements for materials to be used in connection

 


with the units, and other requirements relating to the safety,

 

including safety from fire, and sanitation facilities of the

 

buildings and structures.

 

     (2)  The code shall consist of the international residential

 

code, the international building code, the international mechanical

 

code, the international plumbing code published by the

 

international code council, the national electrical code published

 

by the national fire prevention association, and the Michigan

 

uniform energy code with amendments, additions, or deletions as the

 

director determines appropriate.

 

     (3) The code shall be designed to effectuate the general

 

purposes of this act and the following objectives and standards:

 

     (a) To provide standards and requirements for construction and

 

construction materials consistent with nationally recognized

 

standards and requirements.

 

     (b) To formulate standards and requirements, to the extent

 

practicable in terms of performance objectives, so as to make

 

adequate performance for the use intended the test of

 

acceptability.

 

     (c) To permit to the fullest extent feasible the use of modern

 

technical methods, devices, and improvements, including

 

premanufactured units, consistent with reasonable requirements for

 

the health, safety, and welfare of the occupants and users of

 

buildings and structures.

 

     (d) To eliminate restrictive, obsolete, conflicting, and

 

unnecessary construction regulations that tend to increase

 

construction costs unnecessarily or restrict the use of new

 


materials, products, or methods of construction, or provide

 

preferential treatment to types or classes of materials or products

 

or methods of construction.

 

     (e) To insure adequate maintenance of buildings and structures

 

throughout this state and to adequately protect the health, safety,

 

and welfare of the people.

 

     (f) To provide standards and requirements for cost-effective

 

energy efficiency.  that will be effective April 1, 1997.

 

     (g) Upon periodic review, to continue to seek ever-improving,

 

cost-effective energy efficiencies.

 

     (h) The development of a voluntary consumer information system

 

relating to energy efficiencies.

 

     (i) To provide standards and requirements for a temporary

 

building or structure that ensure the public health, safety, and

 

general welfare and take into account the temporary nature of the

 

building or structure. Unless a building official grants an

 

extension for demonstrated cause, a temporary building or structure

 

shall be removed within 180 days of its installation.

 

     (4) The code shall be divided into sections as the director

 

considers appropriate including, without limitation, building,

 

plumbing, electrical, and mechanical sections. The boards shall

 

participate in and work with the staff of the director in the

 

preparation of parts relating to their functions. Before the

 

promulgation of an amendment to the code, the boards whose

 

functions relate to that code shall be permitted to draft and

 

recommend to the director proposed language. The director shall

 

give consideration to all submissions by the boards. However, the

 


director has final responsibility for the promulgation of the code.

 

     (5) The code may incorporate the provisions of a code,

 

standard, or other material by reference. The director shall add,

 

amend, and rescind rules to update the code not less than once

 

every 3 years to coincide with the national code change cycle.

 

     (6) Before the Michigan building code, the Michigan

 

residential code, the Michigan plumbing code, the Michigan

 

mechanical code, the Michigan uniform energy code, and the Michigan

 

rehabilitation code may be enforced, the director shall make each

 

Michigan-specific code available to the general public for at least

 

45 days in printed, electronic, or other form that does not require

 

the user to purchase additional documents or data in any form in

 

order to have an updated complete version of each specific code,

 

excluding other referenced standards within each code. This

 

subsection does not apply to any code effective before April 1,

 

2005.

 

     Sec. 10. (1) Except as otherwise provided in the code, before

 

construction of a building or structure, the owner, or the owner's

 

builder, architect, engineer, or agent, shall submit an application

 

in writing to the appropriate enforcing agency for a building

 

permit. The application shall be on a form prescribed by the

 

commission and, except as provided in subsection (9),  shall be

 

accompanied by payment of the fee established by the enforcing

 

agency. The application shall contain a detailed statement in

 

writing  , verified by affidavit of the person making it,  of the

 

specifications for the building or structure, and full and complete

 

copies of the plans drawn to scale of the proposed work. Except as

 


provided in subsection (10), the application shall be verified by

 

affidavit of the person submitting it. A site plan showing the

 

dimensions, and the location of the proposed building or structure

 

and other buildings or structures on the same premises, shall be

 

submitted with the application. The application shall state in full

 

the name and residence, by street and number, of the owner in fee

 

of the premises on which the building or structure will be

 

constructed, and the purposes for which it will be used.

 

     (2) If construction is proposed to be undertaken by a person

 

other than the owner of the land in fee, the statement shall

 

contain the full name and residence, by street and number, of the

 

owner and also of the person proposing the construction. The

 

affidavit shall state that the specifications and plans are true

 

and complete and contain a correct description of the building or

 

structure, lot, and proposed work. The statements and affidavits

 

may be made by an owner, or the owner's attorney, agent, engineer,

 

architect, or builder, by the person who proposes to make the

 

construction or alteration, or by that person's agent, engineer,

 

architect, or builder. A person shall not be recognized as the

 

agent, attorney, engineer, architect, or builder of another person

 

unless the person files with the enforcing agency a written

 

instrument, which shall be an architectural, engineering or

 

construction contract, power of attorney, or letter of

 

authorization signed by that other person designating the person as

 

the agent, attorney, architect, engineer, or builder and, in case

 

of a residential builder or maintenance and alteration contractor,

 

architect, or engineer, setting forth the person's license number

 


and the expiration date of the license.

 

     (3) A person licensed or required to be licensed as a

 

residential builder or residential maintenance and alteration

 

contractor under the occupational code, 1980 PA 299, MCL 339.101 to

 

339.2721, a master or  journeyman  journey plumber  pursuant to

 

1929 PA 266, MCL 338.901 to 338.917  under the state plumbing act,

 

2002 PA 733, MCL 338.3511 to 338.3569, an electrical contractor or

 

master or journeyman electrician  pursuant to  under the electrical

 

administrative act, 1956 PA 217, MCL 338.881 to 338.892, or

 

pursuant to  under a local ordinance, or as a mechanical contractor

 

pursuant to  under the  forbes  Forbes mechanical contractors act,

 

1984 PA 192, MCL 338.971 to 338.988, who applies for a building

 

permit to perform work on a residential building or a residential

 

structure shall, in addition to any other information required

 

pursuant to  under this act, provide on the building permit

 

application all of the following information:

 

     (a) The occupational license number of the applicant and the

 

expiration date of the occupational license.

 

     (b) One of the following:

 

     (i) The name of each carrier providing worker's disability

 

compensation insurance to the applicant if the applicant is

 

required to be insured  pursuant to  under the worker's disability

 

compensation act of 1969, 1969 PA 317, MCL 418.101 to 418.941.

 

     (ii) The reasons for exemption from the requirement to be

 

insured if the applicant is not required to be insured under the

 

worker's disability compensation act of 1969, 1969 PA 317, MCL

 

418.101 to 418.941.

 


     (c) One of the following:

 

     (i) The employer identification number, if the applicant is

 

required to have an employer identification number  pursuant to  

 

under section 6109 of the internal revenue code of 1986.

 

     (ii) The reasons for exemption from the requirement to have an

 

employer identification number  pursuant to  under section 6109 of

 

the internal revenue code if the applicant is not required to have

 

an employer identification number  pursuant to  under section 6109

 

of the internal revenue code of 1986.

 

     (d) One of the following:

 

     (i) The Michigan employment security commission employer

 

number, if the applicant is required to make contributions  

 

pursuant to  under the Michigan employment security act, 1936 (Ex

 

Sess) PA 1, MCL 421.1 to 421.75.

 

     (ii) If the applicant is not required to make contributions,

 

the reasons for exemptions from the requirement to make

 

contributions under the Michigan employment security act, 1936 (Ex

 

Sess) PA 1, MCL 421.1 to 421.75.

 

     (4) The building permit application form shall contain the

 

following statement in 8-point boldfaced type immediately above the

 

location for the applicant's signature:

 

     "Section 23a of the Stille-DeRossett-Hale single state

 

construction code act,  of 1972,  1972 PA 230, MCL 125.1523a,

 

prohibits a person from conspiring to circumvent the licensing

 

requirements of this state relating to persons who are to perform

 

work on a residential building or a residential structure.

 

Violators of section 23a are subjected to civil fines.".

 


     (5) The application for a building permit shall be filed with

 

the enforcing agency and the application and any other writing

 

prepared, owned, used, in the possession of, or retained by the

 

enforcing agency in the performance of an official function shall

 

be made available to the public in compliance with the freedom of

 

information act, 1976 PA 442, MCL 15.231 to 15.246. An application

 

shall not be removed from the custody of the enforcing agency after

 

a building permit has been issued.

 

     (6) This section shall be construed to allow the imposition of

 

requirements in the code, or in other laws or ordinances, for

 

additional permits for particular kinds of work, including plumbing

 

and electrical, or in other specified situations. The requirements

 

of the code may provide for issuance of construction permits for

 

certain of the systems of a structure and allow construction to

 

commence on those systems approved under that permit even though

 

the design and approval of all the systems of the structure have

 

not been completed and subsequent construction permits have not

 

been issued.

 

     (7) Notwithstanding this section, a building permit is not

 

required for ordinary repairs of a building and structure.

 

     (8) Notwithstanding this section, a building permit is not

 

required for a building incidental to the use for agricultural

 

purposes of the land on which the building is located if it is not

 

used in the business of retail trade.

 

     (9) An enforcing agency shall not charge a fee for the review

 

or approval of plans for the construction or use of a residential

 

ramp if the residential ramp is a temporary structure and if the

 


residential ramp complies with all of the following:

 

     (a) Unless a building official grants an extension for

 

demonstrated cause, the residential ramp is removed within 180 days

 

of its installation.

 

     (b) It is not attached to a building or structure.

 

     (c) No part of the ramp or a footing for the ramp is below the

 

adjacent grade, as that term is used in the code.

 

     (d) The ramp is contiguous to a residence.

 

     (10) An enforcing agency shall not require verification by

 

affidavit of an application submitted under subsection (1) for the

 

construction or use of a residential ramp if the residential ramp

 

qualifies for the fee exemption under subsection (9) and if the

 

applicant meets all of the following:

 

     (a) Is the owner of the residence.

 

     (b) Is a person with disabilities.

 

     (c) At the time of the application, resides in a facility that

 

provides organized nursing care and medical treatment to 7 or more

 

unrelated individuals who are suffering or recovering from illness,

 

injury, or infirmity.

 

     (d) Intends to reside in the residence when no longer residing

 

in the facility described in subdivision (c).