SPONSOR: Murphy
This bill requires a political subdivision to grant or deny a building permit within a certain number of days, depending on the type of construction, as provided in the bill.
After an applicant submits an application to a political subdivision, the political subdivision must notify the applicant in writing of any missing information within five business days. If the political subdivision does not provide timely written notice that the applicant has not submitted the properly completed application, the application will be automatically deemed completed and accepted.
A political subdivision must maintain on the political subdivision's website a policy for expedited processing of building permits required by law to be expedited.
If a political subdivision fails to meet a deadline established by this bill, the building permit fee will be reduced by 10% of the original permit fee for each business day that the political subdivision fails to meet the deadline, unless the delay is caused by or agreed to in writing by the applicant.
A political subdivision will not be required to reduce the building permit fee if it provides written notice within the specific deadlines to an applicant stating the specific reasons a permit fails to satisfy state law or local ordinances. The notice must state that the applicant has 10 business days to submit revisions to correct the permit application and that failure to correct the application within that time will result in a denial of the application. If the applicant submits revisions within 10 days, the political subdivision will have 10 business days to approve or deny the permit. If the political subdivision fails to respond within the 10 days the building permit fee will be reduced by 20% for each business day that the political subdivision fails to meet the deadline, unless the delay is caused by or agreed to in writing by the applicant.
The bill also exempts a contractor performing construction in a rebuilding area, an area that has been destroyed by a natural disaster resulting in the Governor proclaiming a state of emergency for that area, from any permit requirement. This will not, however, be construed to exempt the construction from any other existing state law or local ordinance related to safety requirements for construction. The provisions of this bill apply only to construction taking place in a rebuilding area.
This bill is similar to HB 1256 (2025).