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S2632AaaEnergy Efficiency

Health and Safety - State Building Code

This bill updates the state building code, moving four-family homes to commercial standards and adopting energy conservation codes.

Introduced37 Yea0 Nay1 Not voting
Population
Affected
35
Email Legislator
Introduced Feb 13, 2026Committee Senate Housing & Municipal Government

Plain-English Summary

This bill updates the Rhode Island State Building Code rules. It shifts four-family homes from the residential building code to the commercial building code. Three-family homes will be covered either by the residential code or a special section of the commercial code. It also officially adds the International Energy Conservation Code to the state's standards. Finally, it requires the 2024 residential code to take effect for one-to-three-family homes by January 1, 2027, and exempts the adoption of these new codes from certain administrative review processes.

For younger readers

This bill changes the rules for building houses in Rhode Island. Before, homes with up to four families living in them followed the same building rules as a regular house. Now, a building with four families will follow the rules for commercial buildings, like stores or large apartment buildings. It also adds new rules for saving energy when building houses. Finally, it sets a deadline of January 1, 2027, for the state to start using the newest version of these building rules.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Real estate developersProperty owners and landlordsConstruction contractorsTenants in multi-family homesElectricians and plumbers
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
None
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Explicitly incorporates the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), promoting better energy efficiency, reducing carbon footprints, and lowering utility costs for residents.
  • Moving four-family units to the commercial building code ensures stricter safety, fire, and structural standards for these multi-family dwellings, better protecting renters and vulnerable populations.
  • Streamlining the adoption of updated 2024 building and 2026 electrical codes by exempting them from certain administrative delays ensures communities benefit from modern safety and environmental standards sooner.
  • Shifting four-family homes to the commercial building code could substantially increase construction and renovation costs, potentially discouraging affordable housing development and exacerbating the state's housing crisis.
  • Higher building costs resulting from stricter commercial code requirements for four-family units may be passed down to tenants, leading to higher rent prices for lower-income individuals.
  • Exempting the adoption of new building codes from standard administrative review processes reduces public oversight and transparency in how these regulations are implemented.
For Conservatives
  • Exempting the adoption of the 2024 building codes and 2026 electrical code from certain bureaucratic administrative procedures cuts red tape and speeds up the regulatory process.
  • Providing an option for three-family dwellings to be regulated either under the residential code or an appendix to the commercial code offers developers some flexibility in choosing their compliance pathway.
  • Establishing a clear, predictable deadline (January 1, 2027) for the implementation of the 2024 residential code gives builders and contractors a stable timeline to plan future projects.
  • Forcing four-family dwellings to comply with the Commercial International Building Code imposes heavier regulatory burdens and higher costs on small-scale property developers and landlords.
  • Mandating the adoption of the International Energy Conservation Code adds new environmental regulations that can increase the cost of construction and restrict builder freedom.
  • Exempting the new codes from sections of the Administrative Procedures Act removes important checks and balances, potentially silencing small business concerns about the economic impact of the new regulations.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

3 versions
Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 19 additions · 4 deletions

SECTION 1. Section 23-27.3-100.1.5 of the General Laws in Chapter 23-27.3 entitled "State Building Code" is hereby amended to read as follows: 23-27.3-100.1.5. Building code — Adoption and promulgation by committee.

(a) The state building code standards committee has the authority to adopt, promulgate, and administer a state building code, which shall include:

(1) Provisions and amendments as necessary including, but not limited to, those necessary to resolve conflicts between fire safety codes and building codes, as provided for in § 23-28.01-6; and

(2) A rehabilitation building and fire code for existing buildings and structures.

(b) The building code may be promulgated in several sections, with a section applicable to:

(1) One-, and two (2)-, three (3)-, and four (4)-family dwellings using the International Residential Code ("IRC") from the International Code Council (“ICC”), and to three (3) family dwelling units either using the IRC or by providing the same via an appendix to the Commercial International Building Code (“IBC”), and any amendments thereto adopted by the state building code standards committee;

(2) To multiple dwellings with more than four (4) three (3) residential units, and hotels and motels and other commercial structures using the Commercial International Building Code ("IBC") from the ICC and any amendments thereto adopted by the state building code standards committee;

(3) An energy conservation code using the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and any amendments thereto adopted by the state building code standards committee; and (3)(4) To general building construction; to plumbing; and to electrical.

(c) The building code shall incorporate minimum standards for the location, design, construction, and installation of wells that are appurtenances to a building in applicable sections. For purposes of this chapter, “appurtenance” includes the installation, alteration, or repair of wells connected to a structure consistent with chapter 13.2 of title 46.

(d) The building code and the sections thereof shall be reasonably consistent with recognized and accepted standards adopted by national model code organizations and recognized authorities. To the extent that any state or local building codes, statutes, or ordinances are inconsistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Title III, Public Accommodations and Services Operated by Private Entities, 42 U.S.C. § 12181 et seq., and its regulations and standards, they are hereby repealed. The state building code standards committee is hereby directed to adopt rules and regulations consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Titles II and III (28 C.F.R. Part 35 and 28 C.F.R. Part 36, as amended), as soon as possible, but no later than February 15, 2012, to take effect on or before March 15, 2012. The state building code standards committee is hereby authorized and directed to update those rules and regulations consistent with the future revisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Standards.

(e) All electrical work done in the state shall be in accordance with the latest edition of the National Electrical Code (NEC). The state building code standards committee shall adopt the latest edition of the NEC, including any amendments to the NEC by the committee. The adoption of the NEC by the commission shall be completed so that it will take effect on the first day of July of the year the edition is dated.

(f) The 2024 IRC, including any amendments thereto adopted by the building code standards committee (“BCSC”), shall take effect for one to three (3) family dwelling units not later than January 1, 2027; provided that, for three (3) family dwelling units the BCSC may provide for the same results via an appendix to the IBC. The revisions adopting the 2024 IRC and any other 2024 ICC codes, as well as the 2026 National Electric Code (NEC) published by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), including any amendments thereto adopted by the BCSC, shall be exempt from the provisions of §§ 42-35-2.9(b), 42-35.1-3, and 42-35.1-4.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.