CS/HB 1575 (Brackett) creates a limitation on when a local authority having jurisdiction over public safety emergency communication system may require installation of an enhancement system. Two-way radio communication enhancement systems are post-construction systems that accept and amplify first responders’ radio signals so that the radio strength at ground level is equal to the radio signal strength in all locations throughout a building. Unless a building undergoes a significant renovation or poses a safety threat, a local authority may only require an assessment no more often than every three years for high-rise buildings or buildings exceeding 12,000 square feet or every five years for all other buildings. If an enhancement system is required after assessment of a new building, a contractor must submit a design to the local authority for an enhancement system, and the local authority must require installation of the system within 12 months after issuance of a temporary certificate of occupancy. If a local authority requires an existing building to retrofit its enhancement system, it must give the building owner one year to do so. 

Effective date: July 1, 2023. (Taggart)