Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland Senate Bill SB436 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3		EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4		[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5		-	Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
6		-	Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
7		-	amendment.
8	5		sb0436
9	6
10	7		SENATE BILL 436
11	8		E4, C9 5lr2072
12	9		CF HB 489
13	10		By: Senator Waldstreicher
14	11		Introduced and read first time: January 21, 2025
15	12		Assigned to: Education, Energy, and the Environment
16		-	Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
17		-	Senate action: Adopted
18		-	Read second time: February 22, 2025
19	13
20		-	~~CHAPTER ______~~
	14	+	A BILL ENTITLED
21	15
22	16		AN ACT concerning 1
23	17
24	18		Maryland Department of Labor – Study on Building Code Requirements for 2
25	19		Single–Staircase Buildings 3
26	20
27	21		FOR the purpose of requiring the Maryland Department of Labor to study and make 4
28	22		recommendations regarding building code requirements for single–staircase 5
29	23		buildings; and generally relating to building code requirements for single–staircase 6
30	24		buildings. 7
31	25
32	26		SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 8
33	27		That: 9
34	28
35	29		(a) In this section, “Department” means the Maryland Department of Labor. 10
36	30
37	31		(b) The Department shall: 11
38	32
39	33		(1) conduct a study on building code requirements for single–staircase 12
40	34		buildings in the State and other states; and 13
41	35
42	36		(2) make recommendations regarding potential legislative or regulatory 14
43	37		changes to authorize the construction of single–staircase buildings up to six stories above 15
44	38		grade plane in the State for the purpose of increasing the affordable housing supply by 16
45	39		reducing barriers to multifamily housing development. 17
46	40
47	41		(c) The study shall: 18
48		-	2 SENATE BILL 436
49	42
	43	+	(1) survey and document a representative sampling of state and local laws, 19
	44	+	ordinances, and policies from across North America; 20
50	45
51		-	(1) survey and document a representative sampling of state and local laws, 1
52		-	ordinances, and policies from across North America; 2
53		-
54		-	(2) analyze best practices for state and local governments when drafting 3
55		-	building code requirements for single–staircase buildings up to six stories above grade, 4
56		-	taking into consideration the following factors: 5
57		-
58		-	(i) the availability of an adequate water supply; 6
59		-
60		-	(ii) the presence and response capability of a professional fire 7
61		-	department; 8
62		-
63		-	(iii) the practicability or feasibility of compliance with modern fire 9
64		-	codes, including a comparison to the safety of the existing housing supply; 10
65		-
66		-	(iv) the practicability or feasibility of building in urban or infill 11
67		-	settings; 12
68		-
69		-	(v) the viability of redevelopment or adaptive reuse of historic 13
70		-	properties; 14
71		-
72		-	(vi) any impacts of laws, ordinances, or policies on: 15
73		-
74		-	1. housing development; or 16
75		-
76		-	2. the cost of housing; and 17
77		-
78		-	(vii) any other relevant factors, as determined by the Department; 18
79		-	and 19
80		-
81		-	(3) make legislative and regulatory recommendations, including potential 20
82		-	amendments to the Maryland Building Performance Standards, to authorize the 21
83		-	construction of single–staircase buildings up to six stories above grade plane in the State 22
84		-	for the purpose of increasing the affordable housing supply by reducing barriers to 23
85		-	multifamily housing development. 24
86		-
87		-	(d) In carrying out the study, the Department shall consult with: 25
88		-
89		-	(1) a fire engineer who is a faculty member at a public institution of higher 26
90		-	education that has a fire protection program; and 27
91		-
92		-	(2) a representative of a union that represents firefighters the Professional 28
93		-	Fire Fighters of Maryland, designated by the President of the Professional Fire Fighters of 29
94		-	Maryland; 30
95		-
96		-	(3) a representative of the Maryland State Firefighters Association, 31
97		-	designated by the President of the Association; 32 SENATE BILL 436 3
	46	+	(2) analyze best practices for state and local governments when drafting 21
	47	+	building code requirements for single–staircase buildings up to six stories above grade, 22
	48	+	taking into consideration the following factors: 23 2 SENATE BILL 436
98	49
99	50
100	51
101		-	(4) a representative of the Maryland Fire Chiefs Association, designated by 1
102		-	the President of the Association; 2
	52	+	(i) the availability of an adequate water supply; 1
103	53
104		-	(5) a ~~representative of the Metropolitan~~ Fire ~~Chiefs Association, 3~~
105		-	~~designated by the President of the Association~~; 4
	54	+	(ii) the presence and response capability of a professional fire 2
	55	+	department; 3
106	56
107		-	(6) a representative of the Office of the State Fire Marshal; and 5
	57	+	(iii) the practicability or feasibility of compliance with modern fire 4
	58	+	codes, including a comparison to the safety of the existing housing supply; 5
108	59
109		-	(7) ~~a representative~~ of ~~a Maryland nonprofit organization that advocates~~ 6
110		-	~~for safe and affordable housing.~~ 7
	60	+	(iv) the practicability or feasibility of building in urban or infill 6
	61	+	settings; 7
111	62
112		-	(e) On or before December 1, 2025 2026, the Department shall report its findings 8
113		-	and recommendations to the Governor and, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State 9
114		-	Government Article, the General Assembly, the Senate Education, Energy, and the 10
115		-	Environment Committee, and the House Environment and Transportation Committee. 11
	63	+	(v) the viability of redevelopment or adaptive reuse of historic 8
	64	+	properties; 9
116	65
117		-	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 12
118		-	1, 2025. 13
	66	+	(vi) any impacts of laws, ordinances, or policies on: 10
119	67
	68	+	1. housing development; or 11
120	69
	70	+	2. the cost of housing; and 12
121	71
122		-	Approved:
123		-	________________________________________________________________________________
124		-	Governor.
125		-	________________________________________________________________________________
126		-	President of the Senate.
127		-	________________________________________________________________________________
128		-	Speaker of the House of Delegates.
	72	+	(vii) any other relevant factors, as determined by the Department; 13
	73	+	and 14
	74	+
	75	+	(3) make legislative and regulatory recommendations, including potential 15
	76	+	amendments to the Maryland Building Performance Standards, to authorize the 16
	77	+	construction of single–staircase buildings up to six stories above grade plane in the State 17
	78	+	for the purpose of increasing the affordable housing supply by reducing barriers to 18
	79	+	multifamily housing development. 19
	80	+
	81	+	(d) In carrying out the study, the Department shall consult with: 20
	82	+
	83	+	(1) a fire engineer who is a faculty member at a public institution of higher 21
	84	+	education that has a fire protection program; and 22
	85	+
	86	+	(2) a representative of a union that represents firefighters. 23
	87	+
	88	+	(e) On or before December 1, 2025, the Department shall report its findings and 24
	89	+	recommendations to the Governor and, in accordance with § 2 –1257 of the State 25
	90	+	Government Article, the General Assembly, the Senate Education, Energy, and the 26
	91	+	Environment Committee, and the House Environment and Transportation Committee. 27
	92	+
	93	+	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 28
	94	+	1, 2025. 29
	95	+