An Act to Align Maine's Elevator Safety Laws with Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code Standards
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 0975
Committee: Criminal Justice and Public Safety
Sponsors: CROCKETT, BRENNAN
Amends: 32 MRSA §15228

Legislative Document
No. 975
H.P. 622
House of Representatives, March 2, 2023
An Act to Align Maine's Elevator Safety Laws with Maine Uniform 
Building and Energy Code Standards
(EMERGENCY)
Reference to the Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety suggested and ordered 
printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative CROCKETT of Portland.
Cosponsored by Representative: BRENNAN of Portland.
Emergency preamble.  Whereas, acts and resolves of the Legislature do not 
become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted as emergencies; and
Whereas, today's buildings often have multiple stories and are often serviced by an 
elevator; and
Whereas, the ability to exit these buildings, particularly from higher floors, is 
important, especially in cases of evacuation by medical or emergency personnel; and
Whereas, if evacuation involves carrying a person on a stretcher, an elevator's 
capacity to accommodate the stretcher can be essential to the person's survival; and
Whereas, in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create an emergency within 
the meaning of the Constitution of Maine and require the following legislation as 
immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; now, 
therefore,
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  32 MRSA §15228, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2013, c. 70, Pt. D, §35, is 
further amended to read:
1.  Requirements.  Notwithstanding section 15205‑A, whenever a passenger elevator 
is installed in a building being newly constructed or in a new addition that extends beyond 
the exterior walls of an existing building, the passenger elevator must reach all levels within 
the building and be of sufficient size to allow the transport of a person on an ambulance 
stretcher in the fully supine position, without having to raise, lower or bend the stretcher in 
any way.  This requirement applies to all plans approved after January 1, 2002 meet the 
standard established by the International Building Code, published by the International 
Code Council, regarding elevator car accommodations for an ambulance stretcher, as 
adopted in the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code under Title 10, chapter 1103.  
The director shall adopt rules necessary to carry out the provisions of this section.  Rules 
adopted pursuant to this section are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 
375, subchapter 2‑A.
Emergency clause.  In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this legislation 
takes effect when approved.
SUMMARY
This bill requires that, for newly constructed buildings or for new additions that extend 
beyond the exterior wall of an existing building, passenger elevators conform to the 
International Building Code standard, as adopted in the Maine Uniform Building and 
Energy Code, regarding elevator car accommodations for an ambulance stretcher. This bill 
also removes obsolete effective date language.