The bill amends Section 23-27.3-100.1.5 of the General Laws in Chapter 23-27.3, which pertains to the State Building Code. It grants the state building code standards committee the authority to adopt and promulgate a state building code that includes provisions for one- and two-family dwellings using the International Residential Code (IRC) from the International Code Council (ICC), and for three-family dwelling units either using the IRC or by providing the same via an appendix to the Commercial International Building Code (IBC). The bill also introduces an energy conservation code based on the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC).

Additionally, the bill mandates that the 2024 IRC, including any amendments adopted by the building code standards committee, will take effect for one to three-family dwelling units by January 1, 2027. For three-family dwelling units, the committee may provide for the same results via an appendix to the IBC. The revisions adopting the 2024 IRC and any other 2024 ICC codes, as well as the 2026 National Electrical Code (NEC) published by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), including any amendments adopted by the committee, shall be exempt from the provisions of 42-35-2.9(b), 42-35.1-3, and 42-35.1-4. The act will take effect upon passage.

Statutes affected:
7774: 23-27.3-100.1.5
7774  SUB A: 23-27.3-100.1.5