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Mississippi Code Title 57. Planning, Research and Development § 57-39-21

Current as of January 01, 2025 | Updated by Findlaw Staff

(1) The Mississippi Development Authority, in consultation with other appropriate professional groups and organizations, and others knowledgeable in the subject, shall review, amend and adopt, in accordance with Standard 90.1-2016 of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers, energy code standards for building construction, standards for computer-based energy management systems, standards for systems for cogeneration of heating, cooling and electricity, and standards for design to use passive solar energy concepts, in order to promote the efficient use of energy. For the purposes of this section, “building” shall mean any structure which includes provisions for a heating or cooling system, or both, or for a hot water system, except exempted buildings. Unless it is an exempted building, each of the following are examples of buildings, within the meaning of this section:

(a) Any building which provides facilities or shelter for public assembly, or which is used for educational, office or institutional purposes;

(b) Any inn, hotel, motel, sports arena, supermarket, transportation terminal, retail store, restaurant or other commercial establishment which provides service or retail merchandise;

(c) Any portion of an industrial plant building used primarily as office space; and

(d) Any building owned by a state or political subdivision or instrumentality thereof, including libraries, museums, schools, hospitals, auditoriums, sports arenas and university buildings.

(2) Exempt buildings shall include:

(a) Buildings and structures or portions thereof whose peak design rate of energy usage is less than three and four-tenths (3.4) British thermal units per hour per square foot or one (1.0) watt per square foot of floor area for all purposes;

(b) Buildings and structures or portions thereof which are neither heated nor cooled by fuel;

(c) Any mobile home;

(d) Any privately owned, noncommercial building or structure whose construction, heating, cooling or lighting arrangement is not in conflict with federal law;

(e) Any building owned or leased, in whole or in part, by the United States government.

(3) Beginning July 1, 2013, the design, direction, construction and alteration of any building for which the standards promulgated pursuant to subsection (1) of this section applies shall be accomplished so that the building or applicable portions thereof shall meet or conform to the standards. The Mississippi Development Authority shall not have enforcement over this section. Local governing authorities shall adopt rules and regulations for the administration and enforcement of this section and such penalties for violations of this section as they deem appropriate, except in regard to buildings owned by the state. In state-owned buildings, the Department of Finance and Administration, Bureau of Building, Grounds and Real Property Management, shall provide for the compliance with the standards adopted under this chapter. Local governing authorities are authorized to adopt rules and regulations as developed and promulgated by the department for the administration and enforcement of these standards and to adopt such penalties for violations of the standards as they deem appropriate. Local governing authorities are authorized to establish an inspection fee for the inspection of thermal and lighting standards in an amount not to exceed One Hundred Fifty Dollars ($150.00).

(4) This section shall stand repealed from and after July 1, 2026.

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Cite this article: FindLaw.com - Mississippi Code Title 57. Planning, Research and Development § 57-39-21 - last updated January 01, 2025 | https://codes.findlaw.com/ms/title-57-planning-research-and-development/ms-code-sect-57-39-21/

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