BUILDING CODES, STANDARDS, AND REGULATIONS
According to the PRBC, the building codes are updated, and a new edition issued, every three years to incorporate new construction methods. However, no new edition of the building code has been adopted since the initial implementation of the code in March 2011, and it has only been amended once, in June 2012. Due to many advances since the 2009 I-Codes, the 2018 I-Codes incorporate the most up-to-date hazard-resistant provisions. In addition, Puerto Rico does not participate in The International Organization for Standardization’s (ISO’s) Building Code Effectiveness Grading Schedule (BCEGS) program, which tracks the adoption and enforcement of building codes, with emphasis on hazard resistance. After the destruction of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, OGPe issued Administrative Order 2017-10 (OGPe 2017) on December 26, which orders the establishment of a committee to revise and adopt the PRBC based on the 2018 I-Codes. The Committee’s focal responsibility is to “study, evaluate, and make recommendations regarding adopted building codes” (OGPe 2017, 2). The order allows for a maximum of 180 days from the Administrative Order’s issue date to establish the Committee and for the Committee to make the necessary recommendations. On May 30, 2018, the Commonwealth enacted Law 2018-109 (Law 2018-109 2018). This law directed the Construction Codes Review Committee to revise Puerto Rico building codes on a three-year cycle. The final publication of the new PRBC is expected to occur on November 15, 2018, according to communications with the Puerto Rico Construction Code Adoption and Revision Committee (Comité para la Adopción y Revisión del Códigos de Construcción de Puerto Rico) in September 2018. The codes proposed for adoption are the 2018 editions of 10 of the I-Codes (Planning Department 2018): 1) International Building Code 2) International Energy Conservation Code 3) International Existing Building Code 4) International Fire Code 5) International Fuel and Gas Code 6) International Mechanical Code 7) International Plumbing Code 8) International Private Sewage Disposal Code 9) International Residential Code 10) International Swimming Pool and Spa Code
2.3 Planning, Permitting, and Code Enforcement Development in Puerto Rico is governed by several different bodies. The Puerto Rico Planning Board (PRPB; Junta de Planificación de Puerto Rico) guides development, and building permits 2-4
MITIGATION ASSESSMENT TEAM REPORT
HURRICANES IRMA AND MARIA IN PUERTO RICO