In preliminary provisions, further providing for review of updated sections and adoption of updated sections into Uniform Construction Code and providing for pause of review of 2024 ICC codes, review of existing codes and creation of alternative economic standards to reduce construction costs and for resumption of 2027 and successor ICC code review; and, in Uniform Construction Code, further providing for revised or successor codes.
HB2498 would amend Pennsylvania’s Construction Code Act to change how the state reviews and adopts future editions of the International Code Council (ICC) building codes. The bill would stop the Uniform Construction Code Council from beginning review of the 2024 ICC codes, and instead require a new process beginning January 1, 2027 to review existing code requirements and develop alternative economic standards intended to reduce construction costs in Pennsylvania.
Under that new process, the council would accept public comments for 120 days on individual code requirements, require those comments to explain both the cost impact and how safety would be maintained if a requirement were removed or modified, and then send the comments to a technical advisory committee for review. The committee would make recommendations, public hearings would be held in Harrisburg and in eastern and western Pennsylvania, and the council would then vote on whether each requirement should remain, be removed, or be modified. A two-thirds vote would be required for final action on each item, and the department would then adopt the council’s decisions through regulation.
The bill would substantially alter the timing and substance of Pennsylvania’s Uniform Construction Code update process. It would pause review of the 2024 ICC codes, create a special review track focused on cost reduction, and delay the next regular ICC code review cycle until 2030 for the 2027 codes, with later reviews of successor codes beginning in 2033. It also directs the Department of Labor and Industry to promulgate regulations reflecting the council’s decisions, including a new set of regulations tied to the 2024 pause process that would take effect October 1, 2030 and expire October 1, 2040. The bill would affect the Uniform Construction Code Council, the Department of Labor and Industry, municipalities enforcing the code, builders, designers, and property owners subject to construction standards.
No committee transcript or vote record was provided, so there is no direct evidence of support or opposition from hearings or floor action. Based on the bill text, the measure appears to be framed as a cost-reduction and regulatory-relief proposal, suggesting support from stakeholders concerned about housing affordability and construction expenses. At the same time, the detailed safety-review requirements and supermajority vote threshold indicate an effort to address concerns that reducing code requirements could weaken building safety.
The main point of contention is likely the tradeoff between lowering construction costs and preserving health and safety standards in building codes. Supporters would likely favor the pause on 2024 ICC code review and the creation of alternative economic standards as a way to reduce housing and construction costs. Opponents would likely worry that delaying adoption of updated ICC codes and revisiting existing requirements could weaken modern safety, energy, accessibility, or resilience standards. The bill’s requirement that comments explain how safety will be maintained, along with the two-thirds council vote requirement, suggests lawmakers anticipated debate over which code provisions can be removed or modified without compromising safety.