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Sponsor urges expedited appeals process for building inspections in Senate Bill 6
Summary
A sponsor told the Ohio House Development Committee Senate Bill 6 would require expedited building-appeals hearings (1 business day to commence; 5 business days to hold a hearing), allow virtual meetings, and authorize boards to charge fees (capped in bill language) to fund the process.
An unnamed senator testified to the Ohio House Development Committee that Senate Bill 6 would create an expedited appeals process for building inspections, saying boards of building appeals must "commence appeal within 1 day" of a request and "hold the hearing within 5 days" (business days). The sponsor added the bill allows boards to meet virtually to speed scheduling and suggested the requester would pay fees to fund the expedited track, capped in the bill at no more than $500 per day or $1,000 total. The sponsor contrasted those proposed caps with the current statutory maximum fees cited in testimony — $200 for the state board and $100 for local boards — and said the measure has been refined over five general assemblies.
The sponsor said proponents include ABC of Ohio, the Associated General Contractors, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association and multiple chapters of the National Electrical Contractors Association. Several committee members, including Representative Lorenz, expressed support in committee comments and welcomed the virtual-meeting provision as a practical step to reduce delay without "skirting life safety." Representative Lorenz asked whether the bill covers residential and commercial projects; the sponsor replied it applies to "any project where you would have an inspection and it would go through this process."
Committee members asked about the bill's history and stakeholder involvement. The sponsor said the measure has been introduced repeatedly and that prior iterations had seen edits in the House; there were no opponents reported in the sponsor's Senate outreach. The sponsor also said they met with the Ohio Board of Building Appeals in earlier years while developing the proposal but had not reconvened that group for this introduction.
No formal motion, vote, or committee action on Senate Bill 6 occurred during this hearing; the testimony functions as an initial sponsored presentation. The committee moved on to other business after members' questions.
