S.B. No. 41 - Building Inspections Summary

• Establishes a five-member state board of building appeals appointed by the governor with senate approval, consisting of an attorney, registered architect, professional engineer, fire prevention officer, and person with plumbing or pipefitting expertise.

• Allows the board of building standards to certify municipal and county boards of building appeals to hear and decide appeals from building code enforcement orders, with certified local boards having exclusive jurisdiction over local enforcement rulings.

• Creates new expedited appeal procedures allowing appeals to be commenced within one day and hearings held within five days of request, with expedited hearing fees capped at $500 per day (maximum $1,000 total) and expedited follow-up hearings available within five days of a continuance.

• Permits expedited hearings to be conducted via teleconference, video conference, or other electronic technology and exempts expedited appeals from the standard seven-day notice requirement while still requiring notice to all parties prior to hearing.

• Authorizes local boards of appeals to establish reasonable fees not exceeding $200 for standard appeals and allows additional fees for expedited proceedings subject to the new expedited appeal section.