Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas House Bill HB4496 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	By: Hinojosa H.B. No. 4496
2	2
3	3
4	4	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
5	5	AN ACT
6	6	relating to municipal and county building codes.
7	7	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
8	8	SECTION 1. Sections 388.003(a) and (b), Health and Safety
9	9	Code, are amended to read as follows:
10	10	(a) To achieve energy conservation in single-family
11	11	residential construction, on [the energy efficiency chapter of the
12	12	International Residential Code, as it existed on May 1, 2001, is
13	13	adopted as the energy code in this state for single-family
14	14	residential construction. On] January [September] 1, 2022 [2016],
15	15	the energy efficiency chapter of the International Residential
16	16	Code, as it existed on May 1, 2021 [2015], is adopted as the energy
17	17	code in this state for single-family residential construction. On
18	18	or after January [September] 1, 2028 [2021], the State Energy
19	19	Conservation Office may adopt and substitute for that energy code
20	20	the latest published edition of the energy efficiency chapter of
21	21	the International Residential Code, based on written findings on
22	22	the stringency of the chapter submitted by the laboratory under
23	23	Subsection (b-3). The office:
24	24	(1) may not adopt an edition under this subsection
25	25	more often than once every six years; and
26	26	(2) by rule shall establish an effective date for an
27	27	adopted edition that is not earlier than nine months after the date
28	28	of adoption.
29	29	(b) To achieve energy conservation in all other
30	30	residential, commercial, and industrial construction, the
31	31	International Energy Conservation Code as it existed on May 1, 2021
32	32	[2001], is adopted as the energy code for use in this state for all
33	33	other residential, commercial, and industrial construction. The
34	34	State Energy Conservation Office may adopt and substitute for that
35	35	energy code the latest published edition of the International
36	36	Energy Conservation Code, based on written findings on the
37	37	stringency of the edition submitted by the laboratory under
38	38	Subsection (b-3). The office by rule shall establish an effective
39	39	date for an adopted edition that is not earlier than nine months
40	40	after the date of adoption.
41	41	SECTION 2. Sections 214.212(a) and (d), Local Government
42	42	Code, are amended to read as follows:
43	43	(a) To protect the public health, safety, and welfare, the
44	44	International Residential Code, as it existed on May 1, 2021
45	45	[2001], is adopted as a municipal residential building code in this
46	46	state.
47	47	(d) A municipality may review and consider amendments made
48	48	by the International Code Council to the International Residential
49	49	Code after May 1, 2021 [2001].
50	50	SECTION 3. Sections 214.214(a) and (c), Local Government
51	51	Code, are amended to read as follows:
52	52	(a) Except as provided by Subsection (c), the National
53	53	Electrical Code, as it existed on May 1, 2021 [2001], is adopted as
54	54	the municipal electrical construction code in this state and
55	55	applies to all residential and commercial electrical construction
56	56	applications.
57	57	(c) The National Electrical Code applies to all commercial
58	58	buildings in a municipality [for which construction begins on or
59	59	after January 1, 2006,] and to any alteration, remodeling,
60	60	enlargement, or repair of those commercial buildings.
61	61	SECTION 4. Sections 214.216(a), (b), (d), and (e), Local
62	62	Government Code, are amended to read as follows:
63	63	(a) To protect the public health, safety, and welfare, the
64	64	International Building Code, as it existed on May 1, 2021 [2003], is
65	65	adopted as a municipal commercial building code in this state.
66	66	(b) The International Building Code applies to all
67	67	commercial buildings in a municipality [for which construction
68	68	begins on or after January 1, 2006,] and to any alteration,
69	69	remodeling, enlargement, or repair of those commercial buildings.
70	70	(d) A municipality may review and consider amendments made
71	71	by the International Code Council to the International Building
72	72	Code after May 1, 2021 [2003].
73	73	(e) A municipality that has adopted a more stringent
74	74	commercial building code before January 1, 2022 [2006], is not
75	75	required to repeal that code and may adopt future editions of that
76	76	code.
77	77	SECTION 5. Section 233.062(c), Local Government Code, is
78	78	amended to read as follows:
79	79	(c) The fire code must:
80	80	(1) conform to:
81	81	(A) the International Fire Code, as published by
82	82	the International Code Council, as the code existed on May 1, 2021
83	83	[2005]; or
84	84	(B) the Uniform Fire Code, as published by the
85	85	National Fire Protection Association, as the code existed on May 1,
86	86	2021 [2005]; or
87	87	(2) establish protective measures that exceed the
88	88	standards of the codes described by Subdivision (1).
89	89	SECTION 6. Section 233.153(a), Local Government Code, is
90	90	amended to read as follows:
91	91	(a) New residential construction of a single-family house
92	92	or duplex in the unincorporated area of a county to which this
93	93	subchapter applies shall conform to the version of the
94	94	International Residential Code published as of May 1, 2021 [2008],
95	95	or the version of the International Residential Code that is
96	96	applicable in the county seat of that county.
97	97	SECTION 7. Section 233.153(b), Local Government Code, is
98	98	repealed.
99	99	SECTION 8. The changes made by this Act apply only to
100	100	residential or commercial construction, remodeling, alteration,
101	101	enlargement, repair, or other activity, as applicable, that begins
102	102	under an agreement made on or after January 1, 2022, or that begins,
103	103	in the absence of an agreement, on or after that date. Residential
104	104	or commercial construction, remodeling, alteration, enlargement,
105	105	repair, or other applicable activity that begins under an agreement
106	106	made before January 1, 2022, or that begins, in the absence of an
107	107	agreement, before that date is governed by the law in effect when
108	108	the agreement was made or the activity began, as appropriate, and
109	109	that law is continued in effect for that purpose.
110	110	SECTION 9. This Act takes effect January 1, 2022.