HB 2498 — 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
 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 review of updated sections and adoption
 7      of updated sections into Uniform Construction Code and
 8      providing for pause of review of 2024 ICC codes, review of
 9      existing codes and creation of alternative economic standards
10      to reduce construction costs and for resumption of 2027 and
11      successor ICC code review; and, in Uniform Construction Code,
12      further providing for revised or successor codes.
13      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
14   hereby enacts as follows:
15      Section 1.    Section 108(a)(1)(i) of the act of November 10,
16   1999 (P.L.491, No.45), known as the Pennsylvania Construction
17   Code Act, is amended to read:
18   Section 108.    Review of updated sections and adoption of updated
19                    sections into Uniform Construction Code.
20      (a)   Code review process.--
21            (1)   (i)   Except as specifically provided in this act
22            with respect:
 1                      (A)   to the 2015 changes to the Uniform
 2                  Construction Code adopted by the council; [and]
 3                      (B)   to the procedure outlined in subparagraph
 4                  (iii)[,]; and
 5                      (C)   to the procedures outlined in section 108.1,
 6            the council shall commence its review of the updated
 7            sections 21 months following the publication of a new
 8            edition of the ICC codes in accordance with paragraph
 9            (3). Notwithstanding any other provision of this act to
10            the contrary, the council shall initiate a new review of
11            the updated sections contained in the 2015 edition of the
12            ICC codes within 30 days of the effective date of this
13            section, and this review shall be referred to as the 2015
14            Code Review. The decisions by the council with respect to
15            the 2015 edition of the ICC codes previously provided to
16            the department on May 29, 2015, and the regulations
17            promulgated by the department as a result shall remain in
18            full force and effect until September 30, 2018. As of
19            October 1, 2018, the decisions of the council as a result
20            of the 2015 Code Review and the regulations promulgated
21            by the department as a result shall supersede any
22            previous inconsistent council decisions or departmental
23            regulations.
24                  * * *
25      Section 2.     The act is amended by adding sections to read:
26   Section 108.1.     Pause of review of 2024 ICC codes, review of
27                  existing codes and creation of alternative economic
28                  standards to reduce construction costs.
29      (a)   Pause review process.--
30            (1)   The council shall not commence the review of the

20260HB2498PN3383                      - 2 -
 1    2024 publication of ICC codes under section 108.
 2          (2)   Beginning January 1, 2027, the council shall review
 3    existing codes and establish alternative economic standards
 4    for the purpose of reducing construction costs in
 5    Pennsylvania.
 6    (b)   Review of existing codes.--
 7          (1)   The process of reviewing existing codes under
 8    subsection (a)(2) shall include a 120-day period to receive
 9    comments from council members and the general public
10    regarding the existing code, to which the following shall
11    apply:
12                (i)    All public comments shall be submitted on a form
13          created by the council. Each comment shall relate to a
14          single code requirement. The comment shall, at a minimum,
15          specify the requirement to which the comment relates,
16          state how the requirement increases construction costs
17          and provide an explanation on how safety will be
18          maintained if the requirement is omitted from or modified
19          for the alternative economic code.
20                (ii)   Each public comment submitted in accordance
21          with subparagraph (i) shall be provided to each council
22          member and posted on the department's publicly accessible
23          Internet website. Each public comment submitted in
24          accordance with subparagraph (i) shall be reviewed
25          individually by a technical advisory committee.
26          (2)   A technical advisory committee shall review all of
27    the requirements referenced in comments submitted in
28    accordance with paragraph (1)(i). The technical advisory
29    committee may review any related requirement or section of
30    the code as needed to ensure consistency and effectiveness of

20260HB2498PN3383                     - 3 -
 1    the Uniform Construction Code. Even if a requirement or
 2    section of the code is not referenced in a comment submitted
 3    in accordance with paragraph (1)(i), a technical advisory
 4    committee member may select one or more requirements or
 5    sections for individual consideration by the council under
 6    section 108(a)(3)(ix)(B).
 7        (3)   For each comment requirement or section that:
 8              (i)    is referenced in a comment submitted in
 9        accordance with paragraph (1)(i); or
10              (ii)    a member of the technical advisory committee to
11        which it has been assigned has separately selected for
12        individual review by the council, the technical advisory
13        committee shall submit to the chair of the council a
14        recommendation that the requirement, section or any
15        related requirements or sections identified in paragraph
16        (2) remain in effect, be removed or modified. The
17        technical advisory committee shall submit the rationale
18        for its recommendations.
19        (4)   The technical advisory committee's recommendations
20    shall be posted on the department's publicly accessible
21    Internet website at least 10 business days prior to holding
22    the first hearing pursuant to this section.
23        (5)   After submission of all recommendations of the
24    technical advisory committees, the council shall hold at
25    least three public hearings as follows:
26              (i)    One hearing shall be held in Harrisburg.
27              (ii)    One shall be held in the eastern region of this
28        Commonwealth, as determined by the department.
29              (iii)    One hearing shall be held in the western
30        region of this Commonwealth, as determined by the

20260HB2498PN3383                   - 4 -
 1            department.
 2      (c)   Council determinations.--
 3            (1)   Upon completion of the hearings required under
 4      subsection (b)(5), the council shall hold one or more
 5      official meetings of the council to decide whether any
 6      requirements, sections or any related requirements or
 7      sections identified in subsection (b)(2) or identified in the
 8      three public hearings in accordance with subsection (b)(5)
 9      remain in effect, be removed or modified. The council shall
10      consider the cost savings and impact on safety due to the
11      removal or modification of any requirement, section or a
12      related requirement identified in subsection (b)(2) or
13      identified in the three public hearings in accordance with
14      subsection (b)(5). The council shall consider and vote on
15      whether any requirements, sections or any related
16      requirements or sections identified in subsection (b)(2) or
17      identified in the three public hearings in accordance with
18      subsection (b)(5) remain in effect, be removed or modified. A
19      two-thirds majority of the council shall be required to
20      determine final action for each requirement, section or
21      related requirement or section.
22            (2)   The council shall submit a report to the secretary
23      within the 24-month period following the commencement of the
24      review process by the council and shall include the sections
25      that are specified for modification or removal.
26   Section 108.2.     Resumption of 2027 and Successor ICC code
27                  review.
28      (a)   Review of 2027 ICC codes.--Beginning January 1, 2030,
29   the council shall commence a review of the 2027 ICC codes in
30   accordance with section 108(a)(3).

20260HB2498PN3383                    - 5 -
 1      (b)   Review of updated sections.--Beginning January 1, 2033,
 2   the council shall commence a review of updated sections 21
 3   months following the publication of a new edition of the ICC
 4   codes in accordance with section 108(a)(3).
 5      Section 3.        Section 304(a)(1) of the act is amended to read:
 6   Section 304.     Revised or successor codes.
 7      (a)   Duties of department.--
 8            (1)   Subject to sections 105(c) and (d), 108.1(c), 301(a)
 9      (3), (4), (5), (6) and (7), (c) and (d) and 302, within nine
10      months of the receipt of the report under section 108(b), the
11      department shall promulgate final-omitted regulations under
12      the act of June 25, 1982 (P.L.633, No.181), known as the
13      Regulatory Review Act, to adopt the council's decisions
14      contained in the report without change. The regulations shall
15      take effect as follows:
16                  (i)    Except as provided in subparagraph (ii),
17            regulations adopted under this act shall become effective
18            33 months after the commencement of council review as
19            provided for in section 108(a)(1)(i).
20                  (ii)    Regulations promulgated by the department as a
21            result of the 2015 Code Review shall take effect October
22            1, 2018.
23                  (iii)    Regulations promulgated by the department as a
24            result of the 2024 pause of code review process shall
25            take effect October 1, 2030, which shall expire October
26            1, 2040.
27            * * *
28      Section 4.        This act shall take effect in 60 days.




20260HB2498PN3383                       - 6 -