Federal Guidelines for Point-Access Block Buildings
Section 102 · Sec. 102 ·
What this chapter is about
This part is about homes where one stairway serves the whole building. The housing agency must write model rules for them. It must talk with the group that writes building codes. It may also give out grants to test the idea. Nothing here overrides a state or city code.
The document says “shall”Who acts: Secretary of Housing and Urban DevelopmentHow: statuteSec. 102 in the PDF
What the document says
“Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall issue guidelines to provide States, territories, Tribes, and localities with model code language, best practices, and technical guidance that could be used to facilitate the permitting of point-access block residential buildings.”
The section requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to issue guidelines within 18 months of enactment, giving States, territories, Tribes, and localities model code language, best practices, and technical guidance for permitting point-access block residential buildings.
What the document actually says
“Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall issue guidelines to provide States, territories, Tribes, and localities with model code language, best practices, and technical guidance that could be used to facilitate the permitting of point-access block residential buildings.”
That sentence, in plain words
The housing agency must write a guide. It has 18 months to do it. The guide gives states and towns sample rules for these buildings.
What this is about
A point-access block building has one stairway for the whole building. Most codes ask for two. The guide is meant to help places that want to allow one.
No action is recorded against this proposal. That is not evidence that none has been taken, and nobody has yet read it against the record. See what the tracker does not yet cover.
The document says “shall”Who acts: Secretary of Housing and Urban DevelopmentHow: statuteSec. 102 in the PDF
What the document says
“(1) fire safety considerations, including sprinkler coverage, smoke detection, ventilation, and building egress performance; (2) construction costs and potential impacts on housing affordability, including the potential for increasing housing supply in high-cost jurisdictions;”
The section lists eight matters the Secretary must consider in developing the guidelines: fire safety, construction cost and affordability, flexibility for different household needs, single-stair codes adopted in the United States, such codes in international standards, research and model language from organizations working on the subject, consultation with experts including fire marshals and developers, and alternative methods of safety compliance.
What the document actually says
“(1) fire safety considerations, including sprinkler coverage, smoke detection, ventilation, and building egress performance; (2) construction costs and potential impacts on housing affordability, including the potential for increasing housing supply in high-cost jurisdictions;”
That sentence, in plain words
One thing to weigh is fire safety. That covers sprinklers, smoke alarms, air flow, and ways out. Another is what building costs and what rent or price results.
What this is about
The law does not tell the agency what to decide. It tells the agency what to look at first. There are eight things on the list.
No action is recorded against this proposal. That is not evidence that none has been taken, and nobody has yet read it against the record. See what the tracker does not yet cover.
The document says “shall”Who acts: Secretary of Housing and Urban DevelopmentHow: statuteSec. 102 in the PDF
What the document says
“The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall coordinate with the International Code Council to encourage the International Code Council to incorporate provisions about point-access block buildings into the International Building Code.”
The section requires the Secretary to coordinate with the International Code Council and to encourage it to put provisions about point-access block buildings into the International Building Code.
What the document actually says
“The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall coordinate with the International Code Council to encourage the International Code Council to incorporate provisions about point-access block buildings into the International Building Code.”
That sentence, in plain words
The housing agency must work with the group that writes a building code. It must urge that group to add rules for these buildings.
What this is about
The building code named here is not a federal law. It is a model that many states copy. The agency can ask them to add rules. It cannot order it.
No action is recorded against this proposal. That is not evidence that none has been taken, and nobody has yet read it against the record. See what the tracker does not yet cover.
The document says “can”Who acts: Secretary of Housing and Urban DevelopmentHow: statuteSec. 102 in the PDF
What the document says
“The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development may establish a program to award competitive grants to eligible entities to implement pilot projects”
The section lets the Secretary set up a competitive grant program for pilot projects testing the safety, feasibility, or cost-effectiveness of point-access block residential buildings, and provides that the program terminates 7 years after the subsection is enacted. An eligible entity is defined to include a State, local or Tribal government, public housing agency, nonprofit, developer, construction, design, engineering, academic, or research body, or a partnership of two or more of them.
What the document actually says
“The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development may establish a program to award competitive grants to eligible entities to implement pilot projects”
That sentence, in plain words
The housing agency may set up a grant program. Groups can compete for the money. They would use it to build test projects and study how they work.
What this is about
A pilot project is a small test done before a wider change. The grants are not required. The program stops after 7 years.
No action is recorded against this proposal. That is not evidence that none has been taken, and nobody has yet read it against the record. See what the tracker does not yet cover.
The document says “shall”Who acts: Secretary of Housing and Urban DevelopmentHow: statuteSec. 102 in the PDF
What the document says
“Projects assisted under this section shall be treated as projects assisted under the Community Development Block Grant program under title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.).”
The section provides that projects assisted under it are treated as projects assisted under the Community Development Block Grant program in title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974.
What the document actually says
“Projects assisted under this section shall be treated as projects assisted under the Community Development Block Grant program under title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.).”
That sentence, in plain words
Projects helped by this part count as another kind of project. They count as block grant projects. That is a program that already exists.
What this is about
Treating one thing as another is a shortcut. It means the older program's rules carry over. This law does not restate them.
No action is recorded against this proposal. That is not evidence that none has been taken, and nobody has yet read it against the record. See what the tracker does not yet cover.
The document says “may not be construed”Who acts: CongressHow: statuteSec. 102 in the PDF
What the document says
“Nothing in this section may be construed to preempt a State or local building code.”
The section states that nothing in it may be read as preempting a State or local building code.
What the document actually says
“Nothing in this section may be construed to preempt a State or local building code.”
That sentence, in plain words
This part does not push aside state rules. It does not push aside city rules either.
What this is about
To preempt is for a federal rule to override a local one. Congress says that does not happen here. States and cities keep their own codes.
No action is recorded against this proposal. That is not evidence that none has been taken, and nobody has yet read it against the record. See what the tracker does not yet cover.
“The term ``point-access block building'' means a Group R-2 occupancy residential structure, as such term is defined by the International Building Code, in which a single internal stairway provides access and egress for all dwelling units in a building that is not greater than 6 stories in height.”
The section defines a point-access block building as a Group R-2 occupancy residential structure, as the International Building Code defines that term, in which one internal stairway serves all dwelling units in a building no taller than 6 stories.
What the document actually says
“The term ``point-access block building'' means a Group R-2 occupancy residential structure, as such term is defined by the International Building Code, in which a single internal stairway provides access and egress for all dwelling units in a building that is not greater than 6 stories in height.”
That sentence, in plain words
This kind of building is a home building of a set type. One stairway inside serves every home in it. The building is six floors tall or less.
What this is about
A definition sets the reach of a rule. Buildings that do not fit it are not covered. The height limit of six floors is part of the test.
No action is recorded against this proposal. That is not evidence that none has been taken, and nobody has yet read it against the record. See what the tracker does not yet cover.
Each distinct thing the section requires or allows: the guidelines, what the Secretary must consider in writing them, the coordination with the International Code Council, the grant program and its end date, how assisted projects are treated, the limit on preemption, and the definition of a point-access block building.
The full list of eight matters the Secretary must consider is summarized rather than quoted item by item. The definition of eligible entity is noted but not quoted in full.
The section creates a new requirement rather than amending an older statute, so nothing recorded here depends on a document that is not indexed, except that assisted projects are tied to the Community Development Block Grant program in title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974.
