Resolve, to Prepare Preapproved Building Types Reference to the Joint Select Committee on Housing suggested and ordered printed.
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 1752
Committee: Housing
Sponsors: POULIOT

Legislative Document
No. 1752
S.P. 697
In Senate, April 20, 2023
Resolve, to Prepare Preapproved Building Types
Reference to the Joint Select Committee on Housing suggested and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator POULIOT of Kennebec.
Sec. 1.  Preapproved building types.  Resolved:  That the Department of 
Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Bureau of Resource Information and Land Use 
Planning, referred to in this resolve as "the bureau," shall contract with an appropriate 
consultant to establish a set of building types that municipalities may adopt as preapproved 
building types in order to reduce the cost and time associated with processing building 
permit applications.  Preapproved building types selected from the state catalog of 
preapproved building types and adopted by a municipality must be deemed 
administratively approved when the preapproved building types are located along existing 
streets or within designated growth areas or when neighborhood standards are in place in 
local land use regulations.  Prototypical site plans must be calibrated to actual site 
conditions for each project and reviewed by the municipality.
The bureau shall:
1. Require the consultant to develop no fewer than 5 and no more than 8 building types.  
Each preapproved building type must include no fewer than 8 and no more than 10 design 
options for building components.  For purposes of this section, "building components" 
include dormers, rear and side additions, windows, porches, stoops, cross gables and other 
elements that add volume to a building. For each building type, multiple design options 
must be prepared to reflect the vernacular architecture in the State, with a range of building 
components that allow for permitted modifications for each building type. For purposes of 
this section, "vernacular architecture" means an architectural style that is designed based 
on local needs, availability of construction materials and local traditions. Building types 
must be designed to fit on lots with dimensions that commonly exist in the State and that 
allow for efficient use of private and public infrastructure.  Building types must be designed 
to meet any applicable state or federal building and energy codes and have prototypical site 
plans for each building type in order to identify the location of the building on the lot, 
location of parking on the lot, access to parking on the lot, setbacks and build-to lines;
2. Ensure a process of public engagement with the consultant as the consultant develops 
the building types, including, but not limited to, online crowd-sourced visual preference 
surveys and at least 2 rounds of public crowd-sourced feedback on draft building types and 
prototypical site plans;
3.  Require the consultant to work with the Department of Public Safety, Office of the 
State Fire Marshal to determine compliance of each preapproved building type with the 
National Fire Protection Association Life Safety Code adopted by the office; and
4.  Require the consultant to create a final proposed work product that includes a 
catalog of building types and prototypical site plans, including a publicly accessible website 
with information and forms relating to preapproved building types. 
Sec. 2.  Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Bureau of 
Resource Information and Land Use Planning to provide report. Resolved:  
That the bureau shall submit a report no later than November 6, 2024 to the joint standing 
committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over housing matters with findings and 
recommendations relating to building types established under section 1.  The joint standing 
committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over housing matters may report out 
legislation relating to the subject matter of the report to the 132nd Legislature in 2025.  
SUMMARY
This bill directs the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Bureau of 
Resource Information and Land Use Planning to contract with an appropriate consultant to 
establish a set of building types that municipalities may adopt as preapproved building 
types in order to reduce the cost and time associated with processing building permit 
applications.  The bill also requires the department to submit a report no later than 
November 6, 2024 to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction 
over housing matters.  The joint standing committee may report out legislation relating to 
the subject matter of the report to the 132nd Legislature in 2025.