Heffley Introduces Legislation That Would End Monopoly of UCC Inspection Process
HARRISBURG – Rep. Doyle Heffley (R-Carbon) announced that he has introduced legislation that would amend the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act to ensure that property owners have the choice between two or more Uniform Construction Code (UCC) inspectors for property inspection services.
“From the slightest home construction project, such as putting an inflatable pool in your backyard, to remodeling your home or starting a whole new build, the current Pennsylvania Construction Code leaves residents subject to the UCC inspection monopoly,” Heffley said. “This legislation aims to ensure that property owners have a choice of where to obtain code inspection services.”
Under current Pennsylvania law, municipalities may opt to enforce the UCC themselves, either by using their own certified indigenous code enforcement program or by contracting with one or more state-certified private third-party agencies. More than 90 percent of Pennsylvania’s municipalities opt to administer and enforce the UCC locally. The majority of those municipalities do so by contracting with only one private third-party agency. House Bill 782 would require municipalities that use a private third-party agency to enforce the Uniform Construction Code contract with at least two or more such entities to provide inspection services.
“When municipalities choose to employ only one UCC inspector, they give an enormous amount of power and authority to that one individual,” Heffley said. “Numerous residents have contacted me regarding issues they’ve experienced with code inspection officers. These residents feel that some code inspection officers have not responded to requests in a timely manner, have been difficult to deal with and, in some cases, have abused their authority. The status quo leaves residents with no recourse when these issues arise other than paying costly appeals fees. By providing at least two options for property builders when it comes to selecting a UCC inspector, this legislation would offer additional redress when issues with particular code inspection officers arise and address the concerns of builders and residents in our area.”
House Bill 782 would have no effect on municipalities that have their own indigenous code enforcement program (such as Philadelphia and Pittsburgh), or a joint agreement with another municipality on UCC enforcement. It would require competitive bidding for municipalities that choose to contract with private third-party code enforcement agencies and propose specific bidding requirements.
The bill has been referred to the House Labor and Industry Committee for consideration. Heffley said that he expects the committee to conduct at least one public hearing on the issue.
For updates, please visit Heffley’s website,
www.RepHeffley.com, or his Facebook page,
www.Facebook.com/RepHeffley.
Representative Doyle Heffley
122nd District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Jonathan Anzur
717.260-6610
janzur@pahousegop.com
RepHeffley.com /
Facebook.com/RepHeffley