An Act amending the act of November 10, 1999 (P.L.491, No.45), known as the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act, in preliminary provisions, further providing for review of updated sections and adoption of updated sections into Uniform Construction Code and providing for pause of review of 2024 ICC codes, review of existing codes and creation of alternative economic standards to reduce construction costs and for resumption of 2027 and successor ICC code review; and, in Uniform Construction Code, further providing for revised or successor codes.

PRINTER'S NO. 3383
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 2498
Session of
2026
INTRODUCED BY HEFFLEY, PICKETT, BERNSTINE, ROWE, ZIMMERMAN AND
COOPER, MAY 7, 2026
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT,
MAY 8, 2026
AN ACT
Amending the act of November 10, 1999 (P.L.491, No.45), entitled
"An act establishing a uniform construction code; imposing
powers and duties on municipalities and the Department of
Labor and Industry; providing for enforcement; imposing
penalties; and making repeals," in preliminary provisions,
further providing for review of updated sections and adoption
of updated sections into Uniform Construction Code and
providing for pause of review of 2024 ICC codes, review of
existing codes and creation of alternative economic standards
to reduce construction costs and for resumption of 2027 and
successor ICC code review; and, in Uniform Construction Code,
further providing for revised or successor codes.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 108(a)(1)(i) of the act of November 10,
1999 (P.L.491, No.45), known as the Pennsylvania Construction
Code Act, is amended to read:
Section 108. Review of updated sections and adoption of updated
sections into Uniform Construction Code.
(a) Code review process.--
(1) (i) Except as specifically provided in this act
with respect:
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(A) to the 2015 changes to the Uniform
Construction Code adopted by the council; [and]
(B) to the procedure outlined in subparagraph
(iii)[,]; and
(C) to the procedures outlined in section 108.1,
the council shall commence its review of the updated
sections 21 months following the publication of a new
edition of the ICC codes in accordance with paragraph
(3). Notwithstanding any other provision of this act to
the contrary, the council shall initiate a new review of
the updated sections contained in the 2015 edition of the
ICC codes within 30 days of the effective date of this
section, and this review shall be referred to as the 2015
Code Review. The decisions by the council with respect to
the 2015 edition of the ICC codes previously provided to
the department on May 29, 2015, and the regulations
promulgated by the department as a result shall remain in
full force and effect until September 30, 2018. As of
October 1, 2018, the decisions of the council as a result
of the 2015 Code Review and the regulations promulgated
by the department as a result shall supersede any
previous inconsistent council decisions or departmental
regulations.
* * *
Section 2. The act is amended by adding sections to read:
Section 108.1. Pause of review of 2024 ICC codes, review of
existing codes and creation of alternative economic
standards to reduce construction costs.
(a) Pause review process.--
(1) The council shall not commence the review of the
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2024 publication of ICC codes under section 108.
(2) Beginning January 1, 2027, the council shall review
existing codes and establish alternative economic standards
for the purpose of reducing construction costs in
Pennsylvania.
(b) Review of existing codes.--
(1) The process of reviewing existing codes under
subsection (a)(2) shall include a 120-day period to receive
comments from council members and the general public
regarding the existing code, to which the following shall
apply:
(i) All public comments shall be submitted on a form
created by the council. Each comment shall relate to a
single code requirement. The comment shall, at a minimum,
specify the requirement to which the comment relates,
state how the requirement increases construction costs
and provide an explanation on how safety will be
maintained if the requirement is omitted from or modified
for the alternative economic code.
(ii) Each public comment submitted in accordance
with subparagraph (i) shall be provided to each council
member and posted on the department's publicly accessible
Internet website. Each public comment submitted in
accordance with subparagraph (i) shall be reviewed
individually by a technical advisory committee.
(2) A technical advisory committee shall review all of
the requirements referenced in comments submitted in
accordance with paragraph (1)(i). The technical advisory
committee may review any related requirement or section of
the code as needed to ensure consistency and effectiveness of
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the Uniform Construction Code. Even if a requirement or
section of the code is not referenced in a comment submitted
in accordance with paragraph (1)(i), a technical advisory
committee member may select one or more requirements or
sections for individual consideration by the council under
section 108(a)(3)(ix)(B).
(3) For each comment requirement or section that:
(i) is referenced in a comment submitted in
accordance with paragraph (1)(i); or
(ii) a member of the technical advisory committee to
which it has been assigned has separately selected for
individual review by the council, the technical advisory
committee shall submit to the chair of the council a
recommendation that the requirement, section or any
related requirements or sections identified in paragraph
(2) remain in effect, be removed or modified. The
technical advisory committee shall submit the rationale
for its recommendations.
(4) The technical advisory committee's recommendations
shall be posted on the department's publicly accessible
Internet website at least 10 business days prior to holding
the first hearing pursuant to this section.
(5) After submission of all recommendations of the
technical advisory committees, the council shall hold at
least three public hearings as follows:
(i) One hearing shall be held in Harrisburg.
(ii) One shall be held in the eastern region of this
Commonwealth, as determined by the department.
(iii) One hearing shall be held in the western
region of this Commonwealth, as determined by the
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department.
(c) Council determinations.--
(1) Upon completion of the hearings required under
subsection (b)(5), the council shall hold one or more
official meetings of the council to decide whether any
requirements, sections or any related requirements or
sections identified in subsection (b)(2) or identified in the
three public hearings in accordance with subsection (b)(5)
remain in effect, be removed or modified. The council shall
consider the cost savings and impact on safety due to the
removal or modification of any requirement, section or a
related requirement identified in subsection (b)(2) or
identified in the three public hearings in accordance with
subsection (b)(5). The council shall consider and vote on
whether any requirements, sections or any related
requirements or sections identified in subsection (b)(2) or
identified in the three public hearings in accordance with
subsection (b)(5) remain in effect, be removed or modified. A
two-thirds majority of the council shall be required to
determine final action for each requirement, section or
related requirement or section.
(2) The council shall submit a report to the secretary
within the 24-month period following the commencement of the
review process by the council and shall include the sections
that are specified for modification or removal.
Section 108.2. Resumption of 2027 and Successor ICC code
review.
(a) Review of 2027 ICC codes.--Beginning January 1, 2030,
the council shall commence a review of the 2027 ICC codes in
accordance with section 108(a)(3).
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(b) Review of updated sections.--Beginning January 1, 2033,
the council shall commence a review of updated sections 21
months following the publication of a new edition of the ICC
codes in accordance with section 108(a)(3).
Section 3. Section 304(a)(1) of the act is amended to read:
Section 304. Revised or successor codes.
(a) Duties of department.--
(1) Subject to sections 105(c) and (d), 108.1(c), 301(a)
(3), (4), (5), (6) and (7), (c) and (d) and 302, within nine
months of the receipt of the report under section 108(b), the
department shall promulgate final-omitted regulations under
the act of June 25, 1982 (P.L.633, No.181), known as the
Regulatory Review Act, to adopt the council's decisions
contained in the report without change. The regulations shall
take effect as follows:
(i) Except as provided in subparagraph (ii),
regulations adopted under this act shall become effective
33 months after the commencement of council review as
provided for in section 108(a)(1)(i).
(ii) Regulations promulgated by the department as a
result of the 2015 Code Review shall take effect October
1, 2018.
(iii) Regulations promulgated by the department as a
result of the 2024 pause of code review process shall
take effect October 1, 2030, which shall expire October
1, 2040.
* * *
Section 4. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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