Purpose

• The bill updates Minnesota’s State Building Code by directing the Commissioner of Labor and Industry to adopt new rules and changes. Its goal is to modernize safety, energy efficiency, and building practices across a wide range of building types and situations, including housing, workplaces, and public facilities.

Main Provisions (What the bill changes or adds)

• Parking and commuter facilities (a)
  • Requires parking ramps or facilities to include spaces for certain commuter vans carrying 7 to 16 people.
• Smoke detection (b)
  • Requires dwellings, lodging houses, apartment houses, and hotels to comply with existing smoke detection requirements.
• Doors in nursing homes and hospitals (c)
  • May not require doors entering sleeping or patient rooms from corridors with an automatic fire extinguishing system to be self-closing.
• Day care in churches (d)
  • Licenses for day care centers in churches serving under 30 preschool-aged children located below ground are exempt from a ground-level exit requirement if there are more than two stairs to the ground.
• Family and group family day care (e)
  • Uses the International Residential Code (IRC) definition for family and group family day care homes licensed by the state.
• Enclosed stairways (f)
  • Existing small multi-story dwellings (two stories or less) may not be required to have enclosed stairways.
• Double cylinder dead bolt locks (g)
  • The code may not prohibit these locks in certain residential settings; if promoted, must include a fire-risk warning and safety guidance.
• Relocated residential buildings (h)
  • If a residence is moved within the state, it need not meet the State Energy Code or related energy provisions if an energy audit is performed, where available.
• Automatic garage doors (i)
  • Residential buildings must comply with related sections governing automatic garage door openings.
• Exterior wood decks and related structures (j)
  • Allows decks, patios, and balconies to be built with specific wood types and grades that resist decay or termites (e.g., heartwood from redwood, cedar) and requires lumber details to be provided to the building official before final approval.
• Bioprocess piping (k)
  • No permit fees for bioprocess piping under the state code; permits are administered by the Department of Labor and Industry, with nonpublic data protections for production/process information.
• Use of ungraded lumber (l)
  • Allows ungraded lumber to be used in areas where the code didn’t apply as of 2008, to the same extent as before.
• Window cleaning safety (m)
  • Establishes rules requiring window cleaning safety features using expedited rulemaking, aligned to a nationally recognized standard, for new buildings and certain alterations.
• Adult-size changing facilities (n)
  • The commissioner must adopt rules to require adult-size changing facilities as part of the code.
• Unvented attic and enclosed rafter assemblies (o)
  • Requires rules to treat unvented attics and enclosed rafter assemblies as insulated and air-sealed with air-impermeable insulation meeting a specific standard: R-30 insulation and a maximum U-factor of 0.038, with indoor heating, cooling, and ventilation equipment (including ductwork) located inside the unvented attic, consistent with the Minnesota Residential Energy Code (R402).

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Expands the State Building Code to add safety, accessibility, and energy efficiency requirements across housing, care facilities, and workplaces.
• Introduces specific energy performance criteria for unvented attic designs.
• Creates exemptions or clarifications for certain existing buildings (e.g., relocated residential buildings, certain child care facilities, certain stairway requirements).
• Directs the adoption of rules using expedited processes for window safety features.

Implementation and Rulemaking

• The commissioner is tasked with adopting the new and amended rules.
• For window cleaning safety features, the bill uses an expedited rulemaking process and requires compliance with a nationally recognized standard.

Practical Implications

• Builders and building owners may need to review designs and retrofit plans to accommodate new or clarified requirements (especially for unvented attics, energy codes, and safety features).
• Some facilities (like certain daycare operations or relocated homes) may have new exemptions or compliance pathways.
• The changes place additional emphasis on energy efficiency and safety in multiple building contexts.

Notable Considerations

• Several provisions interact with or reference the Minnesota Residential Energy Code (R402) and the IRC, shaping how energy performance and safety features are applied in practice.
• Data privacy provisions apply to bioprocess piping information, limiting public access to sensitive details.

Relevant Terms - unvented attic - unvented enclosed rafter assemblies - R30 insulation - UFactor 0.038 - Minnesota Residential Energy Code (R402) - energy audit - window cleaning safety features - expedited rulemaking (section 14.389) - adult-size changing facilities - automatic garage door opening systems - exterior wood decks, heartwood, redwood, cedar - ungraded lumber - bioprocess piping - nonpublic data - double cylinder dead bolt locks - International Residential Code (IRC) - State Building Code - relocated residential buildings - parking ramp commuter spaces