An Act to Increase Funding for Construction Plan Reviews and
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 2223
Committee: Criminal Justice and Public Safety
Amends: 25 MRSA §2448-A, 25 MRSA §2450, 32 MRSA §1377

Legislative Document
No. 2223
H.P. 1498
House of Representatives, February 24, 2026
An Act to Increase Funding for Construction Plan Reviews and 
Clarify Rule-making Authority for Municipal Reviews of 
Development
Reported by Representative HASENFUS of Readfield for the Joint Standing Committee on 
Criminal Justice and Public Safety pursuant to Resolve 2025, chapter 103, section 4.
Reference to the Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety suggested and ordered 
printed pursuant to Joint Rule 218.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  25 MRSA §2448-A, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2011, c. 94, §3, is further 
amended to read:
2.  Registration.  A municipality shall comply with all rules adopted by the 
commissioner pursuant to this section as a condition of registration.  The commissioner 
shall register municipalities to grant permits for projects under subsection 1 if the 
commissioner finds that the municipality meets all of the following criteria.
A.  A municipal building official has been appointed pursuant to section 2351‑A.
B.  The municipality has an employee that is certified as a plan reviewer by the National 
Fire Protection Association.
C.  The municipality has adopted by reference the fire codes adopted by the Office of 
the State Fire Marshal pursuant to sections 2452 and 2465.
D.  The municipality has adequate resources to administer and enforce the provisions 
of the fire codes under paragraph C.
E.  The procedures for public hearing and notification have been established including:
(1)  Notice to the commissioner upon receipt of an application, including a 
description of the project;
(2)  Notice of issuance and denial to the applicant and commissioner, including the 
reason for denial;
(3)  Public notification of the application and any hearings; and
(4)  Procedures for public hearing.
F.  The procedures for appeal of local decisions by aggrieved parties are defined.
G.  A registration form, provided by the commissioner, has been completed and 
submitted by the municipality, demonstrating compliance with the criteria under this 
subsection.
H.  The municipality is currently enforcing the Maine Uniform Building and Energy 
Code.
The Department of Public Safety shall publish on its publicly accessible website a list of 
those municipalities that are registered pursuant to this subsection.
Sec. 2.  25 MRSA §2448-A, sub-§2-A is enacted to read:
2-A.  Memoranda of understanding.  The commissioner may enter into a 
memorandum of understanding with any municipality to facilitate the purposes of this 
section.
Sec. 3.  25 MRSA §2448-A, sub-§11 is enacted to read:
11.  Rulemaking.  The commissioner may adopt rules to implement, administer and 
enforce the provisions of this section, including, but not limited to, procedures for 
registration, suspension and revocation of registrations, notifications, technical assistance 
and appeals. Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as defined 
in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
Sec. 4.  25 MRSA §2450, first ¶, as amended by PL 2017, c. 284, Pt. MMMMM, 
§1, is further amended to read:
The Commissioner of Public Safety shall adopt, in accordance with requirements of 
the Maine Administrative Procedure Act, a schedule of fees for the examination of all plans 
for construction, reconstruction or repairs submitted to the Department of Public Safety.  
The fee schedule for new construction, reconstruction, repairs or renovations is 1.5/10 1/5 
of 1% of the cost to construct or reconstruct the portion of the project that is subject to State 
Fire Marshal review.  Except for projects reviewed by a municipality pursuant to section 
2448‑A, the fees must be credited to a special revenue account to defray expenses in 
carrying out this section.  Any balance of the fees may not lapse, but must be carried 
forward as a continuing account to be expended for the same purpose in the following fiscal 
years.  For projects reviewed by a municipality that include occupied spaces, a 1¢ fee per 
square foot must be remitted to the Department of Public Safety and a 4¢ fee per square 
foot must be paid to the municipality.
Sec. 5.  32 MRSA §1377, first ¶, as amended by PL 1997, c. 728, §36, is further 
amended to read:
Prior to construction of any fire sprinkler system, or prior to an addition involving more 
than 20 new sprinkler heads to a fire sprinkler system, regulated by the National Fire 
Protection Association, Pamphlet No. 13, as amended, a fire sprinkler system contractor 
shall obtain a permit from the commissioner who or a municipality registered pursuant to 
Title 25, section 2448-A.  The commissioner or the registered municipality shall review the 
plan for construction or addition and charge a reasonable fee for the review and permitting 
process.  All plans to be submitted by a contractor to the Department of Public Safety must 
be reviewed, approved and signed by the certified responsible managing supervisor 
retained by the contractor.
Sec. 6.  Appropriations and allocations.  The following appropriations and 
allocations are made.
PUBLIC SAFETY, DEPARTMENT OF
Fire Marshal - Office of 0327
Initiative: Provides funding for two Public Safety Inspector II positions and related All 
Other costs to conduct reviews of fire sprinkler system plans.
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS
2025-26
2026-27
POSITIONS - LEGISLATIVE COUNT
0.000
2.000
Personal Services
$0
$214,800
All Other
$0
$26,700
Capital Expenditures
$0
$113,300
__________
__________
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS TOTAL
$0
$354,800
SUMMARY
This bill is reported out by the Joint Standing Committee on Criminal Justice and 
Public Safety to implement statutory changes recommended by the Department of Public 
Safety, Office of the State Fire Marshal pursuant to Resolve 2025, chapter 103. The bill 
permits the Commissioner of Public Safety to adopt rules regarding registering 
municipalities that have authority to issue construction permits and requires that a 
municipality must comply with these rules as a condition of their registration.  The bill also 
modifies the permitting requirement for fire sprinkler contractors.  Current law requires a 
fire sprinkler contractor to obtain a permit from the commissioner prior to construction.  
The bill adds the option of obtaining that permit from a registered municipality.  The bill 
increases the fee for new construction, reconstruction, repairs or renovations from 1.5/10 
of 1% of the cost to construct or reconstruct the portion of the project that is subject to State 
Fire Marshal review to 1/5 of 1% of that cost. The bill provides funding for 2 public safety 
inspector positions within the Office of the State Fire Marshal. 
The committee has not taken a position on the substance of the bill, and by reporting 
this bill out, the committee is not suggesting and does not intend to suggest that it agrees 
or disagrees with any aspect of this bill.  The committee is reporting the bill out for the sole 
purpose of obtaining a printed bill that can be referred to the committee for a public hearing 
and subsequent committee action in the normal course.