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83rd OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2025 Regular Session
Senate Bill 497
Sponsored by Senator SMITH DB (Presession filed.)
SUMMARY
The following summary is not prepared by the sponsors of the measure and is not a part of the body thereof subject
to consideration by the Legislative Assembly. It is an editor’s brief statement of the essential features of the
measure as introduced.The statement includes a measure digest written in compliance with applicable readability
standards.
Digest: Tells a city or county that it may not adopt a standard from the Reach Code or any
other code that sets tighter standards than what the state agency that puts out the building code
says is needed. Takes effect 91 days after the session ends.(Flesch Readability Score: 69.4).
Prohibits a municipality that administers and enforces a building inspection program from
adopting construction standards or methods from the Reach Code, or a similar or related code of
standards and methods, that exceed or are more stringent than statewide standards and methods
that the Director of Department of Consumer and Business Services adopts and administers.
Takes effect on the 91st day following adjournment sine die.
A BILL FOR AN ACT
Relating to construction standards for energy efficiency; amending ORS 455.500; and prescribing an
effective date.
Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:
SECTION 1. ORS 455.500 is amended to read:
455.500. (1) The Director of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, in consultation
with the appropriate advisory boards, shall adopt, amend and administer a code separate from the
state building code, to be known as the Reach Code. The director shall design the code to increase
energy efficiency in buildings that are newly constructed, reconstructed, altered or repaired.
(2) The Reach Code shall be a set of statewide optional construction standards and methods that
are economically and technically feasible, including any published generally accepted codes and
standards newly developed for construction or for the installation of products, equipment and de-
vices. When adopting or amending the code, the director, in consultation with the appropriate ad-
visory boards, shall:
(a) Review generally accepted codes and standards that achieve greater energy efficiency than
the energy efficiency required by the state building code; and
(b) Review technical components of generally accepted construction documents as the director
considers necessary to address federal, state and local financial incentives and advances in con-
struction methods, standards and technologies.
(3) When amending the state building code under ORS 455.030, the director shall consider
whether any of the standards and methods contained in the Reach Code should be removed from the
Reach Code and adopted in the state building code.
(4) The inclusion of a standard or method for construction or for the installation of products,
equipment or devices in the Reach Code:
(a) Does not alter any licensing or certification requirements under ORS 446.003 to 446.200,
446.225 to 446.285, 447.010 to 447.156, 460.005 to 460.175, 479.510 to 479.945 or 480.510 to 480.670 or
this chapter or ORS chapter 693 or Department of Consumer and Business Services rules;
NOTE:Matter in boldfaced type in an amended section is new; matter [italic and bracketed] is existing law to be omitted.
New sections are in boldfaced type.
LC 2661 SB497
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(b) Exempts products, equipment and devices from product certification requirements under ORS
447.010 to 447.156 and 479.510 to 479.945 and the state building code; and
(c) Requires that a municipality administering and enforcing a building inspection program un-
der ORS 455.148 or 455.150 must recognize and accept the standard, method, installation, product,
equipment or device if a person applies to construct, reconstruct, alter or repair a building in con-
formance with the Reach Code.
(5) A municipality that administers and enforces a building inspection program under
ORS 455.148 or 455.150 may not adopt construction standards or methods from the Reach
Code, or a similar or related code of standards and methods, that exceed or are more strin-
gent than the standards and methods the director adopts and administers under this section.
SECTION 2. This 2025 Act takes effect on the 91st day after the date on which the 2025
regular session of the Eighty-third Legislative Assembly adjourns sine die.
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