The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Ohio SB 428 applies residential building codes and single-stairway exit rules to four-family dwellings
Last action · May 13, 2026: Referred to HousingSponsor: Michele Reynolds
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Would Do
The Build Smart Act extends state residential building codes, contractor licensing standards, home construction service regulations, and sewage treatment rules to four-family dwellings. It also permits certain buildings up to six stories to use a single stairway exit under specific safety conditions.
Property owners, builders, and developers of four-family residential structures become subject to uniform state building standards, contractor dispute rules, and health regulations that previously applied primarily to one-, two-, and three-family homes.
- The Ohio General Assembly regularly updates state building and housing codes through legislation handled by the Board of Building Standards. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Owners of four-family dwellings
Property owners are subject to residential building codes, home construction service regulations, and household sewage treatment rules for four-family structures.
Residential contractors
Contractors constructing or rehabilitating four-family buildings must comply with residential construction standards and dispute resolution statutes.
County and municipal building departments
Building departments must administer and enforce residential building codes and regulations for four-family dwellings.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this bill affect four-family apartment buildings?
What are the requirements for a building to have a single stairway exit?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
2 actions- May 13, 2026SenateCommitteeReferred to Housing
- Apr 27, 2026SenateIntroducedIntroduced
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Expansion of Residential Code Scope to Four-Family Dwellings
The legislation systematically amends provisions across building codes, contractor licensing, home construction services, and sewage treatment to ensure four-family dwellings are governed by the same standards as smaller residential properties.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legislature.ohio.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy25Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz20Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools