SB 277 Connecticut Senate · 2026 Regular Session

AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES' RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING THE CODE OFFICIAL CAREER PATHWAY, THE FIRE SAFETY CODE, BURN INJURY REPORTS AND STATE BUILDING CODE PROVISIONS RELATING TO ACCESSIBILITY.

SB 277 updates fire marshal qualifications by requiring certification and specific experience in fire safety, prevention, or hazardous materials response for local fire marshals and inspectors. It mandates the State Fire Marshal to publish official interpretations of the Fire Safety Code and requires the Department of Public Health to annually report on burn injuries, fireworks/explosives injuries, and related deaths using existing death certificate and hospital data. The bill also revises building code standards to ensure polling places meet accessibility requirements and sets specific vertical clearance rules for public parking garages.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
May 2026
House Passage
May 2026
Signed into Law
Jun 2026
Introduced Feb 19, 2026 Signed Jun 4, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Raised Bill PS Joint Favorable Substitute · 3 edits
MINOR
The bill was renamed from a 'Raised Bill' to a 'Substitute Bill' after receiving favorable committee approval. The most significant change is the addition of a new requirement for the State Fire Marshal to form a working group that studies how to create a more accessible career pathway for code officials, replacing the previous section that set specific qualification standards for local fire marshals. Other sections regarding burn injury reporting and building code accessibility for polling places and parking garages remain substantively unchanged.
Scope change
The bill's scope expanded to include a mandate for studying code official career pathways, while the specific qualification requirements for local fire marshals were removed from the text.
REQUIREMENT

Added a new requirement for the State Fire Marshal to convene a working group to study and recommend changes for a more accessible code official career pathway.

Removed the specific statutory language that mandated minimum qualification standards for local fire marshals, deputy fire marshals, and fire inspectors.

TIMELINE

Updated the document header to reflect the bill's status as a 'Substitute Bill' rather than a 'Raised Bill'.

Floor votes · Senate May 5, 2026 · House May 6, 2026

How they voted

360
Passed
Total votes 36
May 5, 2026
D Democratic25
25 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican11
11 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
22
Key actions
6
Committee
2
Amendments
2
Jun 4, 2026
Signed into law
SIGNED BY GOVERNOR
upper
May 6, 2026
Lower · Passed
HOUSE PASSED, SEN. AMEND. SCH. A
lower
May 6, 2026
Lower · Passed
HOUSE ADOPTED SEN. AMEND. SCH. A
lower
May 5, 2026
Upper · Passed
SEN. PASSED, SEN. AMEND. SCH. A
upper
May 5, 2026
Upper · Passed
SEN. ADOPTED SEN. AMEND. SCH. A
upper
Mar 17, 2026
Upper · Passed
Joint Favorable Substitute
upper
Feb 19, 2026
Committee
REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Public Safety and Security
upper
5 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors