HOUSE BILL NO. 228
INTRODUCED BY J. WARD
A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED: "AN ACT REVISING THE TIME PERIOD BY WHICH A LOCAL GOVERNMENT SHALL PROVIDE TO CERTAIN BUILDING CONTRACTORS A BUILDING PERMIT OR NOTICE OF PLAN DISAPPROVAL FOR COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS; AND AMENDING SECTION 50-60-106, MCA."
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:
Section 1. Section 50-60-106, MCA, is amended to read:
"50-60-106. Powers and duties of counties, cities, and towns. (1) The examination, approval, or disapproval of plans and specifications, the issuance and revocation of building permits, licenses, certificates, and similar documents, the inspection of buildings, and the administration and enforcement of building regulations within the limits of a city or town are the responsibility of the city or town of the state. The examination, approval, or disapproval of plans and specifications, the issuance and revocation of building permits, licenses, certificates, and similar documents, the inspection of buildings, and the administration and enforcement of building regulations within the portion of a county that is covered by a county building code are the responsibility of the county.
(2) Each county, city, or town certified under 50-60-302 shall, within its jurisdictional area:
(a) examine, approve, or disapprove plans and specifications for the construction of any building, the construction of which is pursuant or purports to be pursuant to the applicable provisions of the state building code or county, city, or town building code, and direct the inspection of the buildings during and in the course of construction;
(b) require that construction of buildings be in accordance with the applicable provisions of the state building code or county, city, or town building code, subject to the powers of variance or modification granted to the department;
(c) make available to building contractors at a price that is commensurate with reproduction costs a checklist devised by the department pursuant to 50-60-118 for single-family dwellings and provide to contractors who attach a completed checklist to the plans submitted for examination the relevant building permit or notice of plan disapproval within 10 working days of the contractor's submission;
(d) provide to building contractors who submit plans for a commercial building drawn up by a practicing architect licensed in Montana or a professional engineer licensed in Montana the relevant building permit or notice of plan disapproval within 30 working days of the contractors' submission;
(d)(e) during and in the course of construction, order in writing the remedying of any condition found to exist in, on, or about any building that is being constructed in violation of the state building code or county, city, or town building code. Orders may be served upon the owner or the owner's authorized agent personally or by sending by certified mail a copy of the order to the owner or the owner's authorized agent at the address set forth in the application for permission for the construction of the building. A local building department, by action of an authorized officer, may grant in writing time as may be reasonably necessary for achieving compliance with the order. For the purposes of this subsection (2)(d) (2)(e), the phrase "during and in the course of construction" refers to the construction of a building until all necessary building permits have been obtained and the municipality or county has issued formal written approvals or has issued a certificate of occupancy for the building.
(e)(f) issue certificates of occupancy as provided in 50-60-107;
(f)(g) issue permits, licenses, and other required documents in connection with the construction of a building;
(g)(h) ensure that all construction-related fees or charges imposed and collected by the municipality or county are necessary, reasonable, and uniform and are:
(i) except as provided in subsection (2)(g)(iii) (2)(h)(iii), used only for building code enforcement, which consists of those necessary and reasonable costs directly and specifically identifiable for the enforcement of building codes, plus indirect costs charged on the same basis as other local government proprietary funds not paying administrative charges as direct charges. If indirect costs are waived for any local government proprietary fund, they must also be waived for the program established in this section. Indirect charges are limited to the charges that are allowed under federal cost accounting principles that are applicable to a local government.
(ii) reduced if the amount of the fees or charges accumulates above the amount needed to enforce building codes for 12 months. The excess must be placed in a reserve account and may only be used only for building code enforcement. Collection and expenditure of fees and charges must be fully documented.
(iii) allocated and remitted to the department, in an amount not to exceed 0.5% of the building fees or charges collected, for the building codes education program established in 50-60-116.
(3) Each county, city, or town with a building code enforcement program that has been certified under 50-60-302 may, within the area of its jurisdiction:
(a) make, amend, and repeal rules for the administration and enforcement of the provisions of this section and for the collection of fees and charges related to construction;
(b) prohibit the commencement of construction until a permit has been issued by the local building department after a showing of compliance with the requirements of the applicable provisions of the state building code or county, city, or town building code; and
(c) enter into a private contract with the owner or builder of a building that is not or will not be within the jurisdiction of the county, city, or town under which the county, city, or town will provide reviews, inspections, orders, and certificates of occupancy for a fee and under conditions agreed upon by the parties. County, city, or town powers of enforcement may not be exercised."
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Latest Version of HB 228 (HB0228.01)
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