SEC. 2. CERTIFICATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary of 
Housing and Urban Development, in coordination with the 
head of each covered agency, shall establish a certification 
system through which an owner of a dwelling unit or a 
commercial unit may have such unit certified by the Sec-
retary as meeting the universal design standards. 
(b) WORKING GROUP.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall, not 
later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of 
this section establish a universal design working 
group. 
(2) MEMBERSHIP.—The working group estab-
lished under paragraph (1) shall be made up of— 
(A) staff from Federal agencies, including 
from— 
(i) the Department of Agriculture; 
(ii) the Department of Veterans Af-
fairs; 
(iii) the Federal Housing Finance 
Agency; and 
(iv) the Department of Health and 
Human Services; 
(B) community partners, including— 
(i) the AARP; 
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(ii) the National Council on Aging; 
(iii) the Universal Design Project; 
(iv) the Centers for Independent Liv-
ing; 
(v) Certified Aging-in-Place Special-
ists; and 
(vi) the National Disability Rights 
Network. 
(C) academic partners; 
(D) industry partners; 
(E) health professionals, including occupa-
tional therapists; and 
(F) individuals with lived experience of dis-
ability. 
(3) DUTIES.—The working group established 
by the Secretary pursuant to paragraph (1) shall— 
(A) establish universal design standards 
that comply with the requirements described in 
subsection (c) and issue such updates of such 
standards as the working group determines ap-
propriate; 
(B) establish a timeline for the certifi-
cation process described in subsection (d); 
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(C) provide recommendations to the Sec-
retary on the licensing process described in sub-
section (f); and 
(D) make a recommendation to the Sec-
retary of the Treasury for regulations to deter-
mine which buildings renovations are sufficient 
to qualify for the tax credit established under 
section 3. 
(c) STANDARDS.—The universal design standards es-
tablished by the working group described in subsection (b) 
shall— 
(1) ensure that each certified dwelling unit or 
commercial unit— 
(A) is useful and marketable to people with 
diverse abilities; 
(B) accommodates a range of individual 
preferences and abilities; 
(C) is designed to provide information to 
residents and visitors with varying sensory abili-
ties; 
(D) is designed in a manner that mini-
mizes hazards and the adverse consequences of 
accidental or unintended actions; 
(E) is designed in a manner that is simple 
and intuitive to use, regardless of the experi-
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ence, knowledge, language skills, and concentra-
tion level of the user; 
(F) is designed in a manner to allow for 
efficient and comfortable use with minimum fa-
tigue; and 
(G) provides appropriate space for ap-
proach, reach, manipulation, and use of all as-
pects of the unit regardless of the body size, 
posture, or mobility of the resident or visitor to 
the dwelling unit; 
(2) require, at a minimum, that certified dwell-
ing units and commercial units comply with the 
‘‘ADA Standards for Accessible Design’’; and 
(3) be updated not later than 5 years from the 
date of establishment of such standards, and every 
5 years thereafter, to reflect any changes in needs 
of residents or visitors and any changes in tech-
nology. 
(d) CERTIFICATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—If an owner of a dwelling 
unit or commercial unit wants such unit to be cer-
tified by the Secretary as complying the universal 
design standards, such owner shall submit an appli-
cation for certification to the Secretary at such time 
and in such manner as the Secretary may reason-
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ably require and such application shall include such 
information as is necessary for the Secretary to con-
firm such unit is compliant with the universal design 
standards. 
(2) VERIFICATION.—All information in any ap-
plication submitted to the Secretary pursuant to 
paragraph (1) shall be verified by a licensed inspec-
tor, at the cost of the owner of the dwelling unit or 
commercial unit unless such licensed inspector 
agrees to provide such inspection on a cost-free 
basis. 
(3) CERTIFICATION
OF
MULTI-UNIT
BUILD-
INGS.— 
(A) BUILDINGS WITH 1 TO 4 UNITS.—With 
respect to a building containing 1 to 4 dwelling 
units or commercial units, the property may be 
certified as accessible if all common areas and 
all units in the building comply with the uni-
versal design standards. 
(B) BUILDINGS WITH 5 OR MORE UNITS.— 
With respect to a building containing 5 or more 
dwelling units or commercial units, the property 
may be certified as accessible if all common 
areas in the building comply with the universal 
design standards and not less than 50 percent 
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of all the units in the building comply with the 
universal design standards. 
(4) LABEL.—If the licensed inspector deter-
mines that the dwelling unit meets the universal de-
sign standards, the owner of the dwelling unit or 
commercial unit may use the universal design label 
established by the Secretary pursuant to subsection 
(e) when marketing such dwelling unit or commer-
cial unit to potential tenants and buyers. 
(5) RE-CERTIFICATION.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—An owner of a dwelling 
unit or commercial unit certified under this sec-
tion shall have such unit re-certified before the 
date that is 10 years after the date of the most 
recent certification to continue using the label 
established pursuant to subsection (e) when 
marketing such unit. 
(B) RENOVATION.—If a unit certified 
under this section is renovated, the owner of 
such unit shall reapply for certification under 
this section before using the label established 
pursuant to subsection (e) when marketing such 
unit. 
(C) OWNERSHIP CHANGE.—If ownership of 
a dwelling unit or commercial unit certified 
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