§ 23-29.1-3. Content, adoption, and administration of the rehabilitation building code for existing
buildings and structures.
(a) Content. The rehabilitation building and fire code for existing buildings and structures shall
have a building code element and a fire safety code element and shall make provisions
for the repair, renovation, alteration, reconstruction, and change of use of and additions
to existing buildings and structures. The code shall set forth standards for different
types of uses; and for mixed-use buildings and structures, each portion of the building
or structure shall be separately classified as to use. The standards shall include,
but not be limited to, standards for building; for load bearing and structural elements;
for plumbing, electrical, and mechanical systems; for fire resistant walls and for
fire suppression, fire alarm, and fire detection systems; for accessibility, including
accessibility for persons with disabilities, means of egress, elevators, escalators,
stairways, doors, ramps, fire alarms, floor surfaces, restrooms and corridors; for
vents and ventilation systems; and for historic buildings; provided however that such
standards shall not affect minimum standards for habitancy.
(b) Committee on drafting. There shall be a sixteen (16) member committee on drafting the rehabilitation building
and fire code for existing buildings and structures which shall have as its members
the ten (10) voting members of the joint committee, the state fire marshal, the state
building code commissioner, a representative of grow smart RI appointed by the chairperson
of grow smart RI, a representative of the Rhode Island builders association appointed
by the president of the Rhode Island builders association, a representative of the
governor's commission on disabilities, appointed by the chairperson of the governor's
commission on disabilities, and an historical preservation architect appointed by
the executive director of the Rhode Island historical preservation and heritage commission.
The executive secretary of the joint committee shall serve as secretary of the committee
on drafting and be a nonvoting member of the committee. It shall be the duty of the
joint committee to develop a rehabilitation building and fire code for existing buildings
and structures, which shall have an element pertaining to fire safety and an element
pertaining to building standards, and to recommend said rehabilitation building and
fire code for consideration by the joint committee. The committee on drafting shall
terminate upon an affirmative vote of the joint committee to recommend the rehabilitation
building and fire code for existing buildings and structures for adoption by the building
code standards committee and the fire safety code board of appeal and review.
(c) Adoption. The building code element shall be effective upon adoption by the building code standards
committee pursuant to § 23-27.3-100.1.3 and the fire safety code element shall be effective upon adoption by the fire safety
code board of appeal and review pursuant to § 23-28.3-3. Public hearings required by chapter 35 of title 42 for the adoption, amendment, or revision of the rehabilitation building and fire
code for existing buildings and structures and each of the elements thereof shall
be conducted by the joint committee.
(d) Administration. Except as set forth in this chapter, the building code element shall be administered
as a building code in accordance with the provisions of chapter 27.3 of this title,
the fire safety code element shall be administered as a fire safety code by the division
of fire safety in accordance with the provisions of chapter 28.2 of this title.