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131st MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST SPECIAL SESSION-2023
Legislative Document No. 1752S.P. 697 In Senate, April 20, 2023
Resolve, to Prepare Preapproved Building Types
Reference to the Joint Select Committee on Housing suggested and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator POULIOT of Kennebec. Page 1 - 131LR0933(01)1
2 Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Bureau of Resource Information and Land Use
3 Planning, referred to in this resolve as "the bureau," shall contract with an appropriate
4 consultant to establish a set of building types that municipalities may adopt as preapproved
5 building types in order to reduce the cost and time associated with processing building
6 permit applications. Preapproved building types selected from the state catalog of
7 preapproved building types and adopted by a municipality must be deemed
8 administratively approved when the preapproved building types are located along existing
9 streets or within designated growth areas or when neighborhood standards are in place in
10 local land use regulations. Prototypical site plans must be calibrated to actual site
11 conditions for each project and reviewed by the municipality.
12 The bureau shall:
13 1. Require the consultant to develop no fewer than 5 and no more than 8 building types.
14 Each preapproved building type must include no fewer than 8 and no more than 10 design
15 options for building components. For purposes of this section, "building components"
16 include dormers, rear and side additions, windows, porches, stoops, cross gables and other
17 elements that add volume to a building. For each building type, multiple design options
18 must be prepared to reflect the vernacular architecture in the State, with a range of building
19 components that allow for permitted modifications for each building type. For purposes of
20 this section, "vernacular architecture" means an architectural style that is designed based
21 on local needs, availability of construction materials and local traditions. Building types
22 must be designed to fit on lots with dimensions that commonly exist in the State and that
23 allow for efficient use of private and public infrastructure. Building types must be designed
24 to meet any applicable state or federal building and energy codes and have prototypical site
25 plans for each building type in order to identify the location of the building on the lot,
26 location of parking on the lot, access to parking on the lot, setbacks and build-to lines;
27 2. Ensure a process of public engagement with the consultant as the consultant develops
28 the building types, including, but not limited to, online crowd-sourced visual preference
29 surveys and at least 2 rounds of public crowd-sourced feedback on draft building types and
30 prototypical site plans;
31 3. Require the consultant to work with the Department of Public Safety, Office of the
32 State Fire Marshal to determine compliance of each preapproved building type with the
33 National Fire Protection Association Life Safety Code adopted by the office; and
34 4. Require the consultant to create a final proposed work product that includes a
35 catalog of building types and prototypical site plans, including a publicly accessible website
36 with information and forms relating to preapproved building types.
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39 That the bureau shall submit a report no later than November 6, 2024 to the joint standing
40 committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over housing matters with findings and
41 recommendations relating to building types established under section 1. The joint standing
42 committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over housing matters may report out
43 legislation relating to the subject matter of the report to the 132nd Legislature in 2025. Page 2 - 131LR0933(01)
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2 This bill directs the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Bureau of
3 Resource Information and Land Use Planning to contract with an appropriate consultant to
4 establish a set of building types that municipalities may adopt as preapproved building
5 types in order to reduce the cost and time associated with processing building permit
6 applications. The bill also requires the department to submit a report no later than
7 November 6, 2024 to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction
8 over housing matters. The joint standing committee may report out legislation relating to
9 the subject matter of the report to the 132nd Legislature in 2025.
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