Status Update on the 9th Edition of 780 CMR
Today, the BBRS provided an update on the status of the 9th Edition of 780 CMR. The amendments to the 9th Edition are still under final internal legal review by the state. This legal review has taken longer than expected and therefore the planned adoption date of July 1, 2017 has come and gone. Once this legal review is completed, the code will be filed with the Secretary of State and the promulgation date will be determined. At this point, the anticipated promulgation date will be either late August or early September. This adoption will still include the planned concurrency period.
The major effect this will have on projects going forward is that the end of the concurrency period will still be continue to be January 1, 2018. This will lead to a concurrency period of approximately 4 months, as opposed to the previously determined 6-month concurrency period. Projects which are permitted prior to the promulgation date will require compliance with the 8th Edition, or a variance must be sought to utilize the 9th Edition. Project permitted during the concurrency period will have the option of complying with either the 8th Edition or the 9th Edition. Once the concurrency period has concluded, the 9th Edition must be utilized for all projects moving forward, unless a variance is sought to utilize the 8th Edition.