Progress on Appendix Q seems to be stalled in MA (no one in the BBRS seems to know what happened to it), so Danielle Allard, Director of Budget & Policy of the office of Senator Adam Hinds has worked with the MA Smart Growth Alliance and me (on behalf of B&B Tiny Houses) to submit a bill to make it happen now, in the current 2016 edition.

Danielle writes: 
“Senator Hinds has filed SD.1636, An Act relative to tiny homes. On behalf of the Senator, thank you for your work on this issue. We’ll continue to keep you updated as the bill advances throughout the session.

Please be aware that because were in the start of a new session, the bill will have a hearing scheduled at the earliest in March. When the bill is assigned a committee and a public hearing date is set, we will certainly let you know so that you may submit supporting testimony. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Here’s a quick link to view and track the bill’s progress: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/191/SD1636 “

This is the text of the bill: 
“Section 94 of Chapter 143 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2016 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding at the end thereof the following paragraph:-

(s) To incorporate the International Code Council’s Appendix Q into the code of Massachusetts regulations, 780 CMR, for purposes of defining “tiny homes” and establishing requirements and standards for the construction of tiny homes, and to develop and promulgate rules and regulations necessary for administering and enforcing regulation of tiny homes. Any Appendix Q provisions incorporated into the code of Massachusetts regulations shall be updated within 1 year of any revision to the International Residential Code for one and two family dwellings.”

UPDATE

I just spoke with Legislative Aide Christian Kelly. As of today, 4/4/18, “the bill is before the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight and a hearing has not yet been scheduled. The Committee has until February 2020 to hold a hearing on the bill and issue a report on it.”

So it’s moving forward, slowly.

— Katie Jackson