2018 -- H 7843

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LC004627

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2018

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- STATE BUILDING CODE

     Introduced By: Representatives Mendonca, Ruggiero, and Hearn

     Date Introduced: February 28, 2018

     Referred To: House Finance

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     SECTION 1. Sections 23-27.3-118 and 23-27.3-119 of the General Laws in Chapter 23-

27.3 entitled "State Building Code" are hereby amended to read as follows:

     23-27.3-118.0. Fees.

     No permit shall be issued for new construction, alteration, removal, demolition, or other

building operation until the fees prescribed by municipal ordinance in accordance with § 23-27.3-

119.0 shall have been paid to the city or town collector or other municipal agency authorized to

collect the fees.

     23-27.3-119.0. Fee computation.

     The building commissioner shall collect information on types and amounts of municipal

fees set forth in §§ 23-27.3-118 and 23-27.3-118.1 and create a process or formula for

establishing statewide permit fees. Said information and a description of the process or formula

shall be provided to all municipalities, the League of Cities and Towns, and the general assembly

by December 1, 2015. Beginning July 1, 2017, the permit fees assessed by all municipalities shall

be computed according to the process and formula either established by, or approved by, the state

of Rhode Island building code commission, provided that all fees shall have multipliers that go

down as the cost of construction increases in value. The building permit fees as adopted by the

city and town councils of the state shall seek to recover no more than the cost of permitting

activities during periods of normal building activity. Those fees which are based upon value shall

have multipliers that go down or remain constant as the cost of construction goes up. No fee shall

be assessed for the first reinspection of work that has failed the initial inspection; provided, a fee

shall be allowed for all necessary subsequent reinspections of the same work. The state building

code commissioner may request documentation from a city or town if they believe that the fees

generated in any municipality will yield more than the cost of inspection incurred by a city or

town, or that the multipliers are not compliant with this section.

     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- STATE BUILDING CODE

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     This act would limit recovery of building permit fees by city and town councils to the

cost of the permitting activities during periods of normal building activity, and would require the

use of multipliers for fees based on value that decrease or remain constant as the cost of

construction increases.

     This act would take effect upon passage.

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