Holyoke council committee to review proposed pause on new building codes

HOLYOKE ― The City Council's ordinance committee will meet Tuesday to discuss a proposal that would give multifamily property owners more time to meet new state building code requirements.

The order was first filed in October 2024 by a group of current and former city councilors.

The councilors say the city's Building Commission gave property owners only two months to comply with updated Massachusetts building code rules.

They argue that the deadline is unrealistic for the hundreds of owners affected. The councilors also say the Building Commission failed to enforce these rules for decades, leaving many owners unprepared.

The order asks for an 18‑ to 36‑month moratorium on the requirements. During that time, no fines would be issued, and any existing fines would be canceled. Property owners would still need to complete the necessary work and follow the Building Commission's requests.

A second order also filed in October 2024 calls for creating an ad hoc committee to help guide the rollout of the certificate of inspection process.

The committee would include representatives from the Building Commission, multifamily property owners and the City Council.

Its goal would be to make sure the inspection rules are applied fairly and more efficiently in the future.

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