The Indoor Environments and Green Buildings Policy Resource Center
Maryland law directs the state Department of Housing and Community Development to adopt Maryland Building Performance Standards (“Standards”). The Standards apply throughout the state and are enforced at the local level; however local jurisdictions have authority to adopt local amendments to modify the Standards. See Md. Public Safety Code §§ 12-503, 504.
In 2008, the state of Maine enacted legislation establishing a state-wide uniform building code, with mandatory municipal enforcement of the code phased in between 2010 and 2012. 2008 Maine Public Law 699, available at: http://bcap-energy.org/files/ME%20Public%20Law%20699.pdf.
The state of Washington enacted legislation requiring the state building code council to adopt a building code that incorporates the international codes and that is applicable throughout the state. See Rev. Code Wash. 19.27.031, 19.27.074.
Michigan legislation requires the state to promulgate a building code that incorporates the international codes and that is applicable throughout the state. See Mich. Comp. Laws Ann. 125.1504. The state Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs has incorporated the International Residential Code, including Appendix F (radon control), into the 2009 Michigan Residential Code.
Radon is a radioactive gas found in soil and rock. Radon gas can move into buildings through cracks and other openings in the foundation, and indoor radon exposure is responsible for about 21,000 lung cancer deaths in the U.S. each year. This makes radon the second leading cause of lung cancer overall and the leading cause among non-smokers. U.S.
Chemicals are emitted by a wide array of products used indoors—from buildings materials and furnishings to household products and office equipment.
In 2008, the California legislature enacted a law establishing a framework for identifying, prioritizing, evaluating, and regulating chemicals of concern in consumer products. California Health & Safety Code §§25251-25257.1.
New Jersey enacted legislation directing the state’s Department of Community Affairs to adopt a radon hazard code or revise the state building code to establish “adequate and appropriate standards to ensure that schools and residential buildings within tier one areas [as defined by the state] ...
