The text of the June 4th letter is below.
Director Hanlon
District Department of Buildings
CC: Chairman Mendelson, DC Council
June 4, 2024
Director Hanlon,
We are writing about the stalled process to update the District’s building codes. As you know, the previous code became effective law in early 2020. Since then, the technical advisory groups and the CCCB have met and developed proposed updates to the District’s building code. The last action on code proposals was taken at the Nov 2, 2023 CCCB meeting.
The usual process after CCCB concludes its substantive work is to assemble all proposals into one document, check for accuracy and completeness, and then transmit this document to the mayor for review, a step that should not take much time.
However, after more than half a year since the CCCB completed its substantive work, the proposed updates to the District’s building code still have not been transmitted to the mayor. The step that is currently stalled is a purely administrative step, for which DOB provides administrative and staff support. The ball is in your court, and it is not moving.
The next step, the mayor’s review, is in itself typically a lengthy process, after which public comment and any response by the CCCB is needed before the code can be transmitted to the Council for adoption and then become law after the congressional review period ends. Under the current timeline, the code update may not become effective until early 2026, roughly 6 years after the last update became law. Under ideal conditions, codes are updated every 3 years, but DC looks to take twice that long.
We urge you to move expeditiously and transmit the code proposals to the mayor without delay.
Best regards,
Lara Levison
Energy Committee Chair