No. SB 322
Filed under Occupational.
Construction; Revising the obligation of landlords to maintain certain premises to include making reasonable provisions for functioning facilities for cooling; revising the definitions of the terms “class A air-conditioning contractor” and “mechanical contractor”; authorizing the Construction Industry Licensing Board to award a specified number of hours of general continuing education credit per renewal cycle for certain professional association engagement; prohibiting a certificateholder or registrant from receiving credit for certain activities, etc.
Plain English Summary
AI-GENERATEDLandlords must now keep rental housing cool, not just heated. Once the outdoor heat index hits 90 degrees, cooling equipment must hold indoor air at 82 degrees or below in habitable spaces.
A landlord who gets written notice of broken cooling has 3 business days to fix it, though historic buildings, casualty damage, and tenant-blocked access carry exceptions. Existing leases have until July 2027 to comply.
Separately, the bill rewrites what 'Class A air-conditioning contractor' and 'mechanical contractor' licenses cover, adding pool heater replacement and repair to both trades' authorized scope of work.
It also lets the Construction Industry Licensing Board award up to 4 hours of continuing-education credit per cycle just for attending trade-association meetings or serving on their committees.
AILandlords must ensure cooling equipment can keep indoor air at 82 degrees Fahrenheit or lower in habitable spaces whenever the outdoor heat index reaches or exceeds 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
AIOnce a tenant gives written notice that cooling equipment is broken or that indoor temperature exceeds 82 degrees, the landlord must repair or replace it within 3 business days, absent a supply-chain delay.
AIRental agreements already in effect before July 1, 2026 do not have to comply with the new cooling requirement until July 1, 2027, a full year after the general effective date.
AIThe new state cooling requirement is a floor, not a ceiling -- local governments remain free to adopt or enforce cooling standards for rental housing that are stricter than the state's.
AIBoth 'Class A air-conditioning contractor' and 'mechanical contractor' licenses now expressly cover replacing or repairing an existing pool heater with a matching make and model, without altering the pool's piping system.
AIThe licensing board may award up to 4 hours of general continuing-education credit per renewal cycle for attending a trade-association meeting or serving on its board or a committee.
AIA certificateholder or registrant cannot count time spent mostly on marketing, sales pitches, or other non-educational association business toward the new continuing-education credit.