An Act To Remove the Municipal Mandate To Enforce the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code

Sec. 1. 10 MRSA §9724, sub-§1,  as amended by PL 2011, c. 408, §4, is further amended to read:

Sec. 2. 10 MRSA §9724, sub-§1-B,  as enacted by PL 2011, c. 505, §1, is amended to read:

Sec. 3. 10 MRSA §9724, sub-§1-C  is enacted to read:

Sec. 4. 25 MRSA §2373, first ¶,  as amended by PL 2011, c. 408, §6, is further amended to read:

The code must be enforced in a municipality that has more than 4,000 residents and that has adopted any building the code by August 1, 2008. Beginning July 1, 2012, the code must be enforced in a municipality that has more than 4,000 residents and that has not adopted any building code by August 1, 2008. The code must be enforced through inspections that comply with the code through any of the following means:

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Under current law, all municipalities of more than 4,000 residents must enforce the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code. Municipalities with 4,000 or fewer residents are not required to adopt or enforce the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code, but if such a municipality adopts or enforces a building code, it must be the Maine Uniform Building Code, the Maine Uniform Energy Code or the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code.

This bill allows, but does not require, a municipality of more than 4,000 residents to adopt and enforce a building code, but it restricts the code that may be adopted or enforced by that municipality to the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code.