AN ACT to create and enact eight new sections to chapter 43-09 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to the regulation of conveyances and elevator contractors, mechanics, and inspectors; to amend and reenact sections 43-09-01 and 43-09-02 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to definitions applicable to conveyance regulation and the membership of the state electrical board; to provide a penalty; and to provide for application.
SB 2336 creates a new regulatory framework in North Dakota for “conveyances,” a term that includes elevators, escalators, stairway chairs, platform lifts, moving walks, dumbwaiters, automated people movers, wind turbine elevators, and certain other lifting devices. The bill amends existing definitions in chapter 43-09 and expands the state electrical board’s role to cover conveyance regulation, including elevator contractors, elevator mechanics, and elevator inspectors. It also changes the board’s membership from five to six members and adds an elevator mechanic to the required composition of the board.
The bill requires owners to register conveyances, obtain certificates of operation, report serious accidents, and ensure regular inspection and testing. It also requires elevator contractors to obtain permits before installation or alteration work, to use licensed elevator mechanics, and to comply with board rules and applicable industry standards. The board is directed to adopt rules, establish fee schedules, investigate complaints, hear disciplinary appeals, and set inspection/testing schedules. The bill phases in testing requirements over several years, culminating in a five-year full-load safety test requirement for each conveyance by August 1, 2032.
SB 2336 would significantly expand chapter 43-09 of the North Dakota Century Code by adding a comprehensive state permitting, registration, inspection, testing, and enforcement system for conveyances. It gives the state electrical board new authority over conveyance safety, including rulemaking, fee-setting, permit revocation or suspension, variances, complaint investigations, and disciplinary hearings. The bill also creates new obligations for conveyance owners, elevator contractors, mechanics, and inspectors, and establishes a penalty for failing to obtain a certificate of operation. Certain conveyances are exempted from the board’s rules, including elevators in single-family residences, energy-generation facilities, industrial conveyances not primarily used to move people, and agricultural-facility conveyances.
The bill appears to have broad legislative support, passing the Senate 46-1 and the House 77-15, which suggests general agreement on the need for stronger conveyance safety regulation. The absence of committee transcripts limits insight into detailed debate, but the vote margins indicate the measure was largely viewed favorably. The overall sentiment is that the bill is a safety and oversight measure intended to modernize state regulation of elevators and similar equipment.
The main areas of potential contention are the scope of state regulation, the cost and administrative burden of compliance, and the phased implementation timeline. Owners and contractors may be affected by new registration, permitting, inspection, testing, and annual certificate requirements, along with associated fees and penalties. Exemptions for residential, agricultural, and certain industrial or energy-related conveyances suggest lawmakers were attentive to limiting the bill’s reach, which may have helped reduce opposition. The House’s 15 no votes indicate some concern remained, likely around regulatory expansion, compliance costs, or the practical impact on businesses and property owners.