SB 608 Summary: Rental Unit Safety Improvements

• Building officials and assistant building officials must verify licensure and building permits at construction sites, with authority to issue written orders stopping unpermitted work and fines up to $250 for violations at rental unit construction sites.

• Building officials and assistant building officials gain explicit rights to enter rental properties (except single-family residences) during 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., or at any time in emergencies, to enforce building codes and safety standards.

• Commissioner of Public Health must adopt regulations establishing requirements for testing, remediation, and management of lead-based paint in dwellings where children under age six reside, including approval of lead encapsulant products.

• Property owners and tenement house operators face strict liability for damages caused by violations of lead abatement requirements, and interior paint in tenement houses must not be cracked, chipped, blistered, flaking, loose, or peeling.

• All provisions become effective October 1, 2019.