SB 748

This bill makes changes regarding the following: 1) administration of the

commercial building code; 2) county authority regarding certain buildings and safety

requirements; 3) carbon monoxide detection in commercial residential buildings; 4)

examination requirements for marriage and family therapy, professional counseling,

and social work credentials; and 5) the term of a social worker training certificate.

Commercial building code.

The bill requires the Department of Safety and

Professional Services to promulgate rules establishing uniform procedures for a

county, city, village, or town (municipality) to administer the commercial building

code and prohibits a municipality from enacting or enforcing an ordinance that does

not strictly conform to the rules. Under the bill, “administration” includes the

process an owner must follow when applying for a permit for constructing, altering,

or adding to a public building or a building that is a place of employment.

County authority.

The bill subjects counties to the same prohibitions and

requirements under current law that apply to cities, villages, and towns with respect

to the following: 1) placement of Christmas trees in the state capitol or a church; 2)

standards for constructing, altering, or making additions to public buildings or

places of employment; and 3) property maintenance codes.

Carbon monoxide detection.

The bill changes requirements under current

law regarding carbon monoxide detectors in “residential buildings," which are public

buildings, other than hospitals and nursing homes, that are used for sleeping or

lodging purposes. Under current law, with certain exceptions, prior to occupation of

a residential building, the owner must install carbon monoxide detectors in the

following locations: basements that have a fuel-burning appliance; within 15 feet of

sleeping areas that have a fuel-burning appliance or that are immediately adjacent

to residential units that have a fuel-burning appliance; rooms that are not used as

a sleeping area and that have a fuel-burning appliance; and hallways that lead from

residential units that have a fuel-burning appliance. However, if a residential unit

is not part of a multiunit building, current law allows the owner to install only one

carbon monoxide detector in the unit. The foregoing requirements do not apply to

a residential building that does not have any fuel-burning appliances. Also, the

requirements do not apply if all of the fuel-burning appliances in a building have

sealed combustion units that are either covered by the manufacturer's warranty or

are inspected as provided in rules promulgated by the Department of Agriculture,

Trade and Consumer Protection or the Department of Safety and Professional

Services.

This bill repeals the location requirements described above and imposes

requirements that are similar to those under the International Building Code