SB 1576
Plain-language analysis
Generated analysis, not an official summary or legal advice. Confirm with linked Oregon documents.
The enrolled bill amends Oregon statutes to require that all new subsidized rental housing developments receiving state or federal funding incorporate universal visitable and accessible features (stepless routes, 32-inch clearances, reinforced walls, reachable controls) rather than relying on percentage-based accessibility mandates. It also expands the Director of the Department of Consumer and Business Services' authority to adopt accessibility standards more stringent than federal ADA and Fair Housing Act requirements. Material consequence: Developers seeking state subsidies must build these features into every unit starting January 1, 2027, which will increase upfront construction costs but establish a legally enforceable baseline for housing usability by individuals with mobility impairments.
Basis: Inferred · Source: Enrolled
Official sources do not state why this measure was proposed.
Sponsor testimony, staff summaries, committee materials, or statutory findings may explain it.
Inferred from cited text; not a stated purpose.
The measure appears designed to close the gap between federal minimum accessibility percentages and actual housing stock usability by mandating visitable standards for every subsidized unit. This suggests a policy goal of eliminating post-construction retrofitting delays and ensuring immediate access for disabled residents in publicly supported housing.
Basis: Inferred · Sources: Enrolled; Staff Measure Summary A
Must design and construct all units to specific visitable standards; faces potential cost increases estimated at up to $25 per square foot or approximately $10,000 per impacted unit. Subsidy eligibility becomes contingent on compliance.
Basis: Inferred · Sources: Enrolled; Fiscal Impact Statement A
Must enforce new physical compliance criteria for funding eligibility and may need to adjust review processes or provide technical guidance to applicants.
Basis: Inferred · Source: Enrolled
Gains explicit statutory authority to adopt accessibility standards more stringent than federal ADA/Fair Housing Act baselines for covered multifamily dwellings.
Basis: Inferred · Source: Enrolled
Gain guaranteed baseline accessibility features in newly subsidized rental housing, reducing reliance on case-by-case reasonable accommodations and eliminating the need for post-occupancy structural modifications.
Basis: Inferred · Source: Enrolled
Obligations and costs shift to developers during the design and framing phases. Eligibility for state housing funds becomes strictly tied to meeting the enumerated physical standards. Enforcement authority is clarified for DCBS and HCSD, with rules permissible before the January 1, 2027 operative date. Access improves predictably for disabled residents in subsidized stock, while non-subsidized private construction remains governed by existing federal baselines unless DCBS exercises its expanded rulemaking authority.
Basis: Inferred · Sources: Enrolled; Fiscal Impact Statement A
Disabled residents and housing advocates
A fully compliant subsidized complex is delivered with zero units requiring retrofitting, immediately absorbing a large waiting list of wheelchair users and eliminating decades of public accommodation costs associated with post-occupancy modifications.
Basis: Inferred · Source: Enrolled
Small nonprofit developers and affordable housing supply
A developer faces prohibitive upfront costs (~$10,000/unit) on a tight-margin project in a high-cost market, withdraws from the state subsidy program entirely, and reduces the total volume of affordable units available, worsening housing shortages for low-income households.
Basis: Inferred · Sources: Enrolled; Fiscal Impact Statement A
The statute explicitly ties mandatory visitable features to subsidized developments receiving HCSD funding, but the separate DCBS authority clause lacks a subsidy limitation, creating a potential pathway for regulatory overreach if not carefully bounded by rulemaking procedures.
Sources · Enrolled
Expanding guaranteed accessibility in subsidized housing improves long-term equity and usability for disabled residents but imposes immediate construction cost increases that may reduce the overall volume of affordable units developers can viably build.
Higher upfront development costs (~$25/sq ft) may squeeze profit margins and deter small developers from participating in subsidy programs.
Basis: Inferred · Source: Fiscal Impact Statement A
Potential reduction in total subsidized unit supply if financial feasibility thresholds are not met, exacerbating regional housing shortages.
Basis: Inferred · Source: Fiscal Impact Statement A
The enrolled version retains the substantive provisions of the Senate Amendment version. Key structural changes include the addition of Section 1, which amends ORS 447.220 to clarify legislative intent regarding personal convenience items and explicitly expands DCBS authority to adopt more stringent accessibility standards. The enrolled text removes earlier references to mandating state building code changes for accessible unit percentages, aligning with staff analysis that the measure focuses on subsidy eligibility and federal Section 504 compliance rather than broad code mandates. Operative and effective dates remain unchanged.
Added explicit statutory language clarifying that the Legislative Assembly does not intend to require personal convenience items for disabled persons if not provided for non-disabled persons, while simultaneously expanding DCBS rulemaking authority.
Clarifies scope of state intent and prevents overbroad interpretation of accessibility mandates regarding optional amenities.
Sources · Enrolled
Removed references to changing the state building code for accessible unit percentages; retained focus on Section 504 compliance and visitable standards for subsidized developments.
Narrows the measure's regulatory reach to state-funded projects rather than imposing universal building code mandates.
Sources · Enrolled; Staff Measure Summary A
Maintained January 1, 2027 operative date and authorized pre-implementation rulemaking by DCBS and HCSD.
Provides agencies time to draft compliance guidelines without delaying subsidy program eligibility.
Sources · Enrolled
Tradeoff: The enrolled text narrows regulatory scope to subsidized housing while expanding agency rulemaking authority, trading broad building code mandates for targeted subsidy-conditioned accessibility standards.
high confidence. Analysis is strictly derived from the enrolled bill text and official legislative revenue/fiscal statements. No external speculation is used.
Possible effects if adopted; not current bill text.
If adopted, the amendment would eliminate the mandate to update Oregon’s state building code to require 10 percent Type A accessible units in new large multifamily buildings, and instead require that every newly constructed subsidized rental unit funded by the Housing and Community Services Department meet universal visitable standards and comply with federal Section 504 accessibility requirements, taking effect January 1, 2027.
Basis: Stakeholder claim · Sources: Amendment -1 — proposed amendment; Staff Measure Summary A
Official sources do not state why this measure was proposed.
Sponsor testimony, staff summaries, committee materials, or statutory findings may explain it.
Inferred from cited text; not a stated purpose.
The amendment likely reflects a legislative compromise to reduce prescriptive state building code mandates for developers while preserving baseline accessibility through federal funding conditions and visitable standards.
Basis: Inferred · Sources: Amendment -1 — proposed amendment; Staff Measure Summary A
Would no longer need to comply with a state building code mandate for 10 percent Type A units, but must design every unit to visitable standards and ensure full project compliance with federal Section 504 requirements.
Basis: Inferred · Source: Amendment -1 — proposed amendment
Would gain authority to enforce stricter accessibility rules on funded projects aligned with federal Section 504 standards rather than relying on state building code amendments, with potential per-unit cost increases for future projects.
Basis: Inferred · Source: Fiscal Impact Statement A
Would retain general rulemaking authority for state building codes but lose the specific statutory directive to mandate 10 percent Type A units in Group R-2 buildings.
Basis: Inferred · Source: Amendment -1 — proposed amendment
Would gain guaranteed visitable access in all subsidized rental units, though would likely encounter fewer fully wheelchair-accessible (Type A) units compared to the original bill's mandate.
Basis: Inferred · Source: Amendment -1 — proposed amendment
Developers must ensure stepless exterior routes, 32-inch clearances, reachable controls, and reinforced powder room walls in every subsidized unit. HCSD must verify Section 504 compliance before funding.
Basis: Inferred · Source: Amendment -1 — proposed amendment
Meeting the visitable and Section 504 standards may increase development costs by up to $25 per square foot or approximately $10,000 per impacted unit for future projects receiving HCSD resources.
Basis: Stakeholder claim · Source: Fiscal Impact Statement A
Ground-floor units in multistory buildings without elevators qualify; farm-based agriculture workforce housing remains exempt.
Basis: Inferred · Source: Amendment -1 — proposed amendment
Compliance will be tied to HCSD funding approvals and federal Section 504 standards rather than state building code inspections alone, shifting oversight toward grant administration and federal civil rights compliance.
Basis: Inferred · Source: Amendment -1 — proposed amendment
Developers with tight financing
A developer avoids the cost of constructing 10 percent fully wheelchair-accessible (Type A) units, allowing a financially unviable project to proceed and delivering additional subsidized rental inventory to the market while still meeting visitable standards.
Basis: Inferred · Source: Amendment -1 — proposed amendment
Tenants requiring full wheelchair accessibility
A tenant who relies on a standard wheelchair cannot enter or navigate several subsidized units because they lack the wider doorways, zero-step showers, and turning radiuses required for Type A units, despite the units being legally compliant as merely visitable.
Basis: Inferred · Source: Amendment -1 — proposed amendment
The amendment legally permits a lower threshold of physical accessibility (visitable vs. fully accessible) while relying on federal funding conditions for enforcement. If HCSD or local inspectors misclassify subsidy levels or defer to federal agencies without state-level verification, projects could technically meet visitable requirements while failing Section 504 obligations, creating a compliance gap that disproportionately harms disabled tenants.
Sources · Amendment -1 — proposed amendment
The amendment trades a guaranteed minimum supply of fully wheelchair-accessible units for broader baseline visitable access across all subsidized rentals while reducing prescriptive state building code mandates. Upsides include potentially lower development costs, reduced regulatory friction, and faster project delivery; downsides include reduced housing options for individuals requiring full wheelchair accessibility compared to the original bill.
Lower construction costs and streamlined permitting may increase the overall supply of subsidized rental units.
Basis: Inferred · Source: Fiscal Impact Statement A
Uniform visitable standards applied to every unit simplify compliance tracking for developers and inspectors.
Basis: Inferred · Source: Amendment -1 — proposed amendment
Removal of the 10 percent Type A mandate reduces the number of units fully adaptable for wheelchair users.
Basis: Inferred · Source: Amendment -1 — proposed amendment
Reliance on federal Section 504 enforcement may create jurisdictional gaps if state funding approvals and federal civil rights compliance are not tightly coordinated.
Basis: Inferred · Source: Amendment -1 — proposed amendment
high confidence. The amendment text explicitly removes the state building code mandate and replaces it with visitable standards and Section 504 compliance. Fiscal impacts are documented by official legislative offices, and jurisdictional boundaries between Oregon law and federal definitions are clearly delineated in the statutory text.
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Records available in the current snapshot.
Earliest loaded signal
Introduced bill text posted
Posted Jan 28, 2026, 3:25 PM PST
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Selected document summary
Targeted changes
What the document says to change
On page 1 of the printed bill, delete lines 5 through 12.
Official records (1)
No deeper official pre-number history was found.
Chief sponsors: Senator Deb Patterson, Senator Wlnsvey Campos, Representative Travis Nelson, Senator Courtney Neron Misslin, Representative Cyrus Javadi
Regular sponsors: Senator Lew Frederick, Senator Kayse Jama, Senator Lisa Reynolds, Representative Tom Andersen, Representative Farrah Chaichi, Representative Willy Chotzen, Representative Lisa Fragala, Representative Mark Gamba, Representative Zach Hudson, Representative Lesly Muñoz, Representative Rob Nosse, Representative Lamar Wise, Senator James Manning Jr.
Senate carrier
Senator Deb Patterson
Third Reading Of Senate Measures · Version A
House carrier
Representative Tom Andersen
Third Reading Of Senate Bills · Version A
A carrier presents the measure or report but is not necessarily its sponsor or author.
Records already listed in Activity are not repeated here.
Official origin records are incomplete; missing facts are not inferred.
36 events
Full timeline
36 entries shown.
Effective date, June 5, 2026.
Chapter 95, 2026 Laws.
Governor signed.
Speaker signed.
President signed.
Third reading. Carried by Andersen. Passed.
Ayes, 34; Nays, 10--Boice, Bunch, Cate, Evans, Levy B, Lewis, McIntire, Reschke, Wallan, Wright; Absent, 6--Boshart Davis, Harbick, Osborne, Scharf, Skarlatos, Yunker; Excused, 4--Diehl, Hartman, Levy E, Mannix; Excused for Business of the House, 6--Bowman, Elmer, Javadi, Sosa, Walters, Speaker Fahey.
Second reading.
Recommendation: Do pass.
Staff Measure Summary · Version A
Work Session held.
Work Session
Heard and Reported Out · Agenda item 4 · Room HR 40 · Requires the Director of the Department of Consumer and Business Services to adopt rules to conform the state building code to accessibility requirements under the Fair Housing Act.
IS_Impact SB 1576 A
Revenue Impact Statement
Public Hearing held.
Public Hearing
Heard · Agenda item 2 · Room HR 40 · Requires the Director of the Department of Consumer and Business Services to adopt rules to conform the state building code to accessibility requirements under the Fair Housing Act.
Referred to Housing and Homelessness.
First reading. Referred to Speaker's desk.
Third reading. Carried by Patterson. Passed.
Ayes, 27; Nays, 1--Robinson; Excused, 2--Frederick, Linthicum.
Carried over to 02-19 by virtue of adjournment.
Carried over to 02-18 by unanimous consent.
Second reading.
Senate Amendments to Introduced bill text posted
Recommendation: Do pass with amendments. (Printed A-Eng.)
Work Session held.
Work Session
Heard and Reported Out with Amendments · Agenda item 4 · Room HR E · Requires the Director of the Department of Consumer and Business Services to adopt rules to conform the state building code to accessibility requirements under the Fair Housing Act and to certain American National Standards Institute standards for housing accessibility.
IS_Impact SB 1576 1
Revenue Impact Statement
Amendment -1 adopted
Public Hearing held.
Public Hearing
Heard · Agenda item 2 · Room HR E · Requires the Director of the Department of Consumer and Business Services to adopt rules to conform the state building code to accessibility requirements under the Fair Housing Act and to certain American National Standards Institute standards for housing accessibility.
Referred to Housing and Development.
Introduction and first reading. Referred to President's desk.
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“Effective date, June 5, 2026.”
Confirm with the official record.
Supplemental, source-linked analysis from project researchers and community contributors. It is separate from Oregon's official record.