HB 2306 — 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 definitions and for Accessibility Advisory Board; in Uniform Construction Code, further providing for adoption by regulations and for revised or successor codes; in training and certification of inspectors, further providing for education and training programs; and establishing the Accessibility Advisory Board Administration Account.

PRINTER'S NO.   3039

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                         HOUSE BILL
                         No. 2306
                                                  Session of
                                                    2026

     INTRODUCED BY INGLIS, BURGOS, SANCHEZ, NEILSON, HILL-EVANS,
        DOUGHERTY AND CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, MARCH 19, 2026

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT,
        MARCH 23, 2026


                                       AN ACT
 1   Amending the act of November 10, 1999 (P.L.491, No.45), entitled
 2      "An act establishing a uniform construction code; imposing
 3      powers and duties on municipalities and the Department of
 4      Labor and Industry; providing for enforcement; imposing
 5      penalties; and making repeals," in preliminary provisions,
 6      further providing for definitions and for Accessibility
 7      Advisory Board; in Uniform Construction Code, further
 8      providing for adoption by regulations and for revised or
 9      successor codes; in training and certification of inspectors,
10      further providing for education and training programs; and
11      establishing the Accessibility Advisory Board Administration
12      Account.
13      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
14   hereby enacts as follows:
15      Section 1.    Section 103 of the act of November 10, 1999
16   (P.L.491, No.45), known as the Pennsylvania Construction Code
17   Act, is amended by adding definitions to read:
18   Section 103.    Definitions.
19      The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
20   have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
21   context clearly indicates otherwise:
22      "Accessibility code."       Any collective codes relating to
 1   accessibility and their referenced standards.
 2      * * *
 3      "Updated accessibility code sections."       Any sections of the
 4   newest editions of the ICC accessibility codes subject to review
 5   by the advisory board under section 106(d) that are different
 6   from, added to or deleted from the immediately preceding
 7   editions of the ICC codes.
 8      * * *
 9      Section 2.    Section 106(a)(1) of the act is amended, the
10   subsection is amended by adding a paragraph and the section is
11   amended by adding a subsection to read:
12   Section 106.    Accessibility Advisory Board.
13      (a)   Creation and composition.--
14            (1)   There is hereby created an Accessibility Advisory
15      Board which shall be composed of 11 members, seven of which
16      shall be appointed by the secretary. At least six members of
17      the advisory board shall be public members, three of whom
18      shall be persons with physical disabilities, one shall be an
19      architect registered in Pennsylvania, one shall be a member
20      of the business community, and one shall be a representative
21      of the multifamily housing industry. One member shall be a
22      municipal official. The chairman and minority chairman of the
23      [Labor and Industry Committee of the Senate and the chairman
24      and minority chairman of the Labor Relations Committee of the
25      House of Representatives,] standing committees of the Senate
26      and the House of Representatives having jurisdiction under
27      the act of June 25, 1982 (P.L.633, No.181), known as the
28      Regulatory Review Act, to review Uniform Construction Code
29      regulations, or their designees, shall be members. All
30      members of the advisory board, except the members of the

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 1      General Assembly, shall serve for a term of [two] four years
 2      and until their successors are appointed.
 3            * * *
 4            (5)   Any member absent from three consecutive voting
 5      meetings may be dismissed and the vacancy shall be filled in
 6      the same manner as the appointment of the absent member,
 7      unless the secretary, upon written request from the member,
 8      finds the member should be excused from a meeting because of
 9      illness, the death of a family member, military service or
10      another legitimate reason acceptable to the secretary.
11      * * *
12      (d)   Review of accessibility code.--The advisory board shall
13   review the accessibility code and submit a report to the
14   secretary with sections of the accessibility code that are
15   specified for adoption or modification. The review process shall
16   be conducted as follows:
17            (1)   The advisory board shall commence review of the
18      updated accessibility code sections 21 months following the
19      publication of a new edition of the ICC codes, beginning with
20      the 2024 ICC codes.
21            (2)   Each updated accessibility code section subject to
22      review shall be examined by applying all of the following
23      criteria:
24                  (i)    The impact that the section may have upon the
25            health, safety and welfare of the public, particularly
26            individuals with disabilities.
27                  (ii)    The economic and financial impact of the
28            section, including the impact on the end consumer.
29                  (iii)    The technical feasibility of the section.
30            (3)   The advisory board shall review the updated

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 1    accessibility code sections as follows:
 2             (i)    A 120-day period to receive comments from the
 3        general public shall commence within 30 days of the
 4        advisory board's review under paragraph (1). The
 5        department shall transmit notice of the initiation of the
 6        public comment period to the Legislative Reference Bureau
 7        for publication in the next available issue of the
 8        Pennsylvania Bulletin and shall post notice on the
 9        publicly accessible Internet website of the department.
10             (ii)    All public comments shall be submitted on a
11        form created by the advisory board. Each comment shall
12        relate to a single updated accessibility code section.
13        The comment shall, at a minimum, specify the updated
14        accessibility code section to which the comment relates,
15        state whether the updated section shall be adopted,
16        rejected or modified and specify the rationale for the
17        recommended action based on the criteria specified in
18        paragraph (2). A proposed modification shall meet or
19        exceed the standards of the section in effect or being
20        reviewed and the proposed modification shall be within
21        the standards under review.
22             (iii)    All public comments submitted in accordance
23        with subparagraph (ii) shall be published in accordance
24        with subparagraph (i).
25             (iv)    After the conclusion of the public comment
26        period specified in subparagraph (i), the advisory board
27        shall hold one or more in-person or virtual public
28        hearings to receive additional public comment.
29             (v)    The advisory board shall hold one or more
30        official meetings to decide whether to adopt, reject or

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 1            modify the updated accessibility code sections in
 2            accordance with the following:
 3                         (A)   Updated accessibility code sections that did
 4                  not receive public comment to reject or modify shall
 5                  be adopted by a majority vote of advisory board
 6                  members. The advisory board may consider updated
 7                  accessibility code sections in a single vote.
 8                         (B)   Updated accessibility code sections that
 9                  received public comment to reject or modify shall be
10                  voted on individually and shall require a vote of at
11                  least seven advisory board members for adoption or
12                  modification.
13                  (vi)    The advisory board shall submit a report to the
14            secretary within 24 months of the commencement of the
15            review process by the advisory board with sections of the
16            updated accessibility codes that are specified for
17            adoption or modification.
18      Section 3.     Sections 301(a)(4), 304(a)(3) and (a.1) and
19   703(b), (c) and (d)(2) of the act are amended to read:
20   Section 301.     Adoption by regulations.
21      (a)   Regulations.--
22            * * *
23            (4)   The secretary shall consider the recommendations of
24      the advisory board as provided in section 106(c). [The
25      department shall consider the comments of the advisory board
26      with respect to accessibility issues in any proposed
27      regulations.]
28            * * *
29   Section 304.     Revised or successor codes.
30      (a)   Duties of department.--

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 1            * * *
 2            (3)   [The department shall promulgate regulations
 3      updating accessibility standards under Chapter 3 by adopting
 4      by December 31 of the year of issuance of the accessibility
 5      provisions of the most recently published edition of the ICC
 6      codes and any other accessibility requirements which shall be
 7      specified in the regulations, or contained in or referenced
 8      by the Uniform Construction Code relating to persons with
 9      disabilities.] Within nine months of the report under section
10      106(d)(3)(vi), the department shall promulgate final-omitted
11      regulations under the act of June 25, 1982 (P.L.633, No.181),
12      known as the Regulatory Review Act, to adopt the advisory
13      board's decisions contained in the report without change. The
14      regulations shall take effect 33 months after the
15      commencement of the advisory board review as provided in
16      section 106(d)(1).
17            * * *
18      (a.1)   Continuity.--If an updated section is not adopted or
19   modified under section 106 or 108, the relevant provisions of
20   the existing sections shall remain in effect.
21      * * *
22   Section 703.     Education and training programs.
23      * * *
24      (b)   Accounts.--There are hereby established within the State
25   Treasury [three] four restricted accounts which shall be known
26   as the Municipal Code Official Training Account, the Review and
27   Advisory Council Administration Account, the Accessibility
28   Advisory Board Administration Account and the Construction
29   Contractor Training Account.
30      (c)   Deposit.--

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 1        (1)   The fee collected as authorized under subsection (a)
 2    shall be transmitted quarterly to the State Treasury and
 3    shall be divided and deposited in the accounts established in
 4    subsection (b) as follows:
 5              (i)    Forty-three and one-half percent of the fee
 6        shall be deposited in the Municipal Code Official
 7        Training Account for the purpose of education and
 8        training programs for municipal code officials and
 9        individuals employed by third-party agencies under
10        contract with a municipality.
11              (ii)    Forty-three and one-half percent of the fee
12        shall be deposited in the Construction Contractor
13        Training Account for a Pennsylvania-based housing
14        research center located at a land grant university for
15        the construction industry. To assure the programs meet
16        the needs of the construction industry, the education,
17        training and other activities provided by the housing
18        research center must be approved by its industry advisory
19        committee.
20              (iii)    [Thirteen] Ten percent of the fee shall be
21        deposited in the Review and Advisory Council
22        Administration Account for expenses of the council as
23        authorized under section 107(l), for technical assistance
24        as provided for under section 107(k), for administrative
25        assistance as provided under section 107(j), for fees
26        associated with the ICC to establish and publish code
27        manuals which contain the standards of the Uniform
28        Construction Code as provided under section 304(a)(4) and
29        as otherwise determined necessary by the department as
30        funds are available.

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 1                (iv)   Three percent of the fee shall be deposited in
 2          the Accessibility Advisory Board Administration Account
 3          for expenses of the advisory board and department
 4          incurred under section 106(d) related to review of
 5          accessibility codes.
 6          (2)     Money deposited under paragraph (1)(i) and (ii) is
 7    hereby appropriated on approval of the Governor to the
 8    Department of Community and Economic Development. The
 9    Department of Community and Economic Development may utilize
10    up to 3% of the funds allocated to the account under
11    paragraph (1)(i) and up to 3% of the funds allocated to the
12    account under paragraph (1)(ii) for administrative and
13    program expenses. Notwithstanding any other provision of this
14    paragraph to the contrary, the Department of Community and
15    Economic Development may continue to abide by the provisions
16    of an agreement permitting the retention or collection of a
17    greater percentage for administrative and program expenses,
18    but only for a period of one year from the effective date of
19    this paragraph.
20          (3)   All money deposited under paragraph (1)(iii) and
21    (iv) shall be transmitted quarterly to the department. The
22    department shall not be required to utilize other sources of
23    funding to carry out activities under this act if the funds
24    provided under this section are insufficient.
25    (d)   Reports.--
26          * * *
27          (2)   No later than November 1 of each calendar year, the
28    department shall provide a report to the chairperson and
29    minority chairperson of the [Labor and Industry Committee of
30    the Senate and the chairperson and minority chairperson of

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 1    the Labor and Industry Committee of the House of
 2    Representatives.] standing committees of the Senate and the
 3    House of Representatives having jurisdiction under the act of
 4    June 25, 1982 (P.L.633, No.181), known as the Regulatory
 5    Review Act, to review Uniform Construction Code regulations.
 6    The report shall detail expenditures for the most recent
 7    fiscal year. The report shall include:
 8             (i)    A separate accounting of revenue and
 9        expenditures for the account under subsection (c)(1)(iii)
10        and (iv). The separate accounting provided under this
11        paragraph shall include, to the extent available, revenue
12        and expenditures by a contractor, vendor or other party
13        engaged to perform the services under subsection (c)(1)
14        (iii) and (iv). All contracts entered into after the
15        effective date of this paragraph by the department with a
16        contractor, vendor or other party shall require the
17        contractor, vendor or other party to provide the
18        information required under this paragraph.
19             (ii)    The amount utilized by the Uniform Construction
20        Code Review and Advisory Council and advisory board for
21        reimbursement of travel expenses.
22             (iii)    The amount utilized by the Uniform
23        Construction Code Review and Advisory Council and
24        advisory board for other purposes and a description of
25        each expenditure.
26             (iv)    The amount utilized by the department for
27        personnel, including the position title, hours charged,
28        amount and description of the duties and responsibilities
29        of each individual paid in whole or in part from the
30        account.

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1              (v)    The amount utilized by the department for
2          operational costs and a description of each expenditure.
3              (vi)    The amount utilized by the department for other
4          program purposes and a description of each expenditure.
5      Section 4.    All regulations are abrogated to the extent of
6   any inconsistency with this act.
7      Section 5.    This act shall take effect in 60 days.




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