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Senate passes bill to require trained plans examiners for large building plans
Summary
Senate Bill 135 requires that plans examiners reviewing plans for buildings of 10,000 square feet or more be trained or certified; sponsors said training will be provided at no additional permit fee and that the change targets larger commercial projects, not home construction.
Senate Bill 135, a substitute amendment to the state building-code law, passed the Utah Senate after extended floor debate on Feb. 14, 1997. Sponsor Senator Craig Peterson said the change narrows a prior proposal to require licensure only for plans review of structures of 10,000 square feet or more and exempts ordinary home construction. "What we're trying to do is truly build a fence at the top of the hill rather than putting the ambulance at the base of the cliff," Peterson told the chamber.
Supporters said the measure responds to concerns raised by county and city building officials and the Utah State Seismic Commission that some plans reviewers lacked sufficient training, producing costly redesigns or construction delays. The substitute limits the licensure requirement to larger structures and directs that the Department of Occupational and Professional Licensing provide training using an existing training fund (a 1% portion of building permit fees), a change sponsors said avoids new permits or fees.
Opponents and questioners on the floor raised fiscal and implementation concerns for small towns and rural counties, asking whether communities would need to hire new personnel or pay for travel and training. Peterson and other supporters repeatedly stated the bill does not force communities to create new positions: municipalities that already perform plans review may continue to do so but must ensure the reviewer has the required training when they choose to perform a plans examination on larger projects.
The Senate adopted a friendly amendment to clarify term lengths and application details and approved the first substitute for third reading. The roll-call on final passage was recorded by the clerk as 25 yeas, 1 nay and 3 absent. The bill moves on to the House for further consideration.
The measure names the Utah Uniform Building Code Commission and the Department of Occupational and Professional Licensing as responsible for establishing and administering the training; the sponsor said funds already collected with permit fees will be used for that purpose.
The next procedural step is transmission to the House for its action; supporters said they expect more local implementation questions to be addressed in committee or follow-up legislation.
