Lawmakers weigh residential building code adoption and universal‑design study

The committee discussed language in a House bill that would create a study of "universal design" standards for residential buildings and whether that work should be folded into an existing building-energy and residential-code working group chaired by Representative Scott Campbell.

Campbell told senators the working group has examined statewide energy standards and the mechanics of compliance for two years. He warned Vermont lacks an administrative infrastructure to enforce residential building standards: "We have no infrastructure for administering ... nothing to enforce any part of our building codes and penalize people who don't follow those codes," Campbell said, summarizing the group’s experience with voluntary compliance and uneven inspection and oversight.

Committee members discussed potential overlap between the proposed universal-design study and the existing building-energy/residential-code work. Several senators urged that universal-design (accessibility and adaptability features) be incorporated into statewide residential-code discussions rather than generating a separate task force. Campbell and other members said adding stakeholders who specialize in disability access (Centers for Independent Living and other advocates) would be needed if universal-design work is added to the existing group’s charge.

Campbell described compliance challenges: mandatory energy standards exist but enforcement has been limited and past surveys showed residential compliance rates around 50% to 54% in prior years; commercial compliance is higher because licensed professionals are involved. He said the working group has been exploring registration and voluntary certification pathways with the Office of Professional Regulation to improve compliance without imposing a full licensing regime.

Senators and staff agreed on a preferred approach: use the existing statewide building‑code and energy-code working group, add a few accessibility experts and municipal or disability‑advocacy members, and task the group to craft recommendations for how universal-design elements could be incorporated into any future residential building code or standards. Representative Campbell said he would propose edits to the group's charge and report back to the Senate committee.

No formal votes were taken; the chair thanked Campbell for his leadership and asked staff to coordinate possible membership additions and next steps.