Senate Bill 88 Alabama 2026 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Larry StuttsSenator

Republican

Session

2026 Regular Session

Title

Division of Construction Management; capital improvement projects valued less than $750,000 at covered K-12 and higher education institutions exempted from division inspections and recommendations

Summary

SB88 would shift approval and inspection control for small capital projects under $750,000 at K-12 and public higher education institutions from the Division of Construction Management to the institutions’ governing boards, while preserving ADA and life-safety review by the Division and updating language.

What This Bill Does

Current law requires Division of Construction Management approval for small capital projects; SB88 would remove that approval requirement for projects under $750,000 at covered K-12 and higher education institutions. The Division would still review ADA and fire/life-safety compliance for these exempt projects and issue written recommendations within a 30-day window (extendable to 45 days), with the recommendations becoming public records. The bill also transfers substantial construction oversight powers from the Division to the institutions’ governing boards and makes nonsubstantive technical updates to the code, effective October 1, 2026.

Who It Affects

• Governing boards of K-12 schools and four-year public institutions of higher education would gain authority to plan, approve, and manage capital projects under $750,000, reducing the Division of Construction Management's role in approvals and inspections.
• Division of Construction Management and the Department of Finance would have a reduced oversight role for these small projects, while still performing ADA and life-safety reviews and issuing written recommendations within specified timelines.

Key Provisions

• Exempts covered K-12 and four-year public higher education capital improvement projects under $750,000 from Division of Construction Management approval, thereby shifting oversight to the institution's governing board.
• For exempt projects, requires submission of ADA and fire/life-safety compliance documents to the Division for review; the Division must issue written recommendations within 30 days (or 45 days if delayed), maintain them as public records, develop forms for boards, and reserves the Division's authority to adopt uniform building standards; effective date October 1, 2026.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 12, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Buildings, Construction & Infrastructure