House committee hears hourslong debate on HB241 over engineering requirements for fortified homes

Representative Eastbrook opened a public hearing on House Bill 241, a proposal that would limit engineering-plan requirements for many single‑family homes, saying the bill aims to reduce construction costs and speed homeownership.

The bill prompted extensive testimony for and against changes to current practice. Builders and homeowners described rising engineering fees and the added cost of Fortified certification, while county engineers, building officials and municipal representatives said professional design and stricter codes reduced storm damage and protected neighboring properties.

"The cost to build a house has doubled in the last eight years," a builder who testified during the hearing said. "I don't need this stamp. I built houses 30 years, and never had a problem." Representative Eastbrook repeated that the bill would apply to single‑family residences up to three stories and said the aim is to lower the upfront cost to buyers.

Randy Davis, who identified himself as a former state representative from District 96, urged support for fortified construction in coastal areas and said the program has helped preserve homes in past hurricanes: "It's really nice the day after a hurricane ... to see houses standing, and their roof is on them."

Frank Lundy, Baldwin County engineer, told the committee that stronger building codes and early professional design work reduced the number of structures damaged in storms. "Our building codes and requiring professional design and professional input on the front end when plans are being developed ... work," Lundy said, citing the much larger debris volumes produced by earlier storms and the relatively smaller number of structures damaged more recently.

Representing municipal interests, Baker Allen, director of governmental affairs for the Alabama League of Municipalities, said HB241 would create a "one‑size‑fits‑all" approach that could leave some jurisdictions exposed: "We need flexibility at the local level to provide for the needs of each area of the state."

A representative of the International Code Council explained the Fortified program and its insurance implications, telling the committee that more than 75,000 homes in Alabama have been built to Fortified standards and that the highest level, Fortified Gold, requires plan certification and construction details not achievable through retrofitting older homes.

Witnesses and committee members discussed specific costs cited during testimony: engineering fees for a 2,500‑square‑foot house were described as roughly $4,000; Fortified Gold extra steps (including a fabric window covering) were described in testimony as adding roughly $1,200 to engineering and about $4,500 for materials; insurance discount examples cited in testimony showed modest annual savings (bronze ~$72, gold ~$128) that witnesses said made payback times long for inland properties.

Several speakers noted that wind‑design requirements in building‑code tables already require special design in coastal and other high‑wind zones, and witnesses said a shortage of structural engineers in the region has driven up fees and wait times for plan review.

Committee members said an amendment is expected to exclude areas south of Interstate 10; the chair also announced a referral to the Governmental Services Subcommittee chaired by Representative Stubbs, and said he would appoint Francis Hope Jones to that subcommittee. No committee vote on HB241 was taken at the hearing.

The matter will return to the full committee only after the subcommittee meets and reports back.