Members of Local 7 were invited to join the Governor of Maryland, Wes Moore, at the signing of a new bill that will require residential elevators be tested prior to being released to the owner. The piece of legislation, SB0198, took effect as of July 1, 2023 and dictates the requirements for private residential elevators installed on or after October 1, 2023. The move will have a transformative effect on ensuring the safety of the riding public in private residential elevators.

The bill clarifies that residential elevators installed in privately owned single-family residential dwellings are subject to inspection and registration requirements and establishes several requirements on the part of the Commissioner of Labor and Industry. 

Falling into the category of public safety, this new measure will go a long way to ensuring the safety of private residence elevators and should prevent injuries and fatalities that can occur when improper home elevators are used by individuals.

The Commissioner must carry out a final acceptance inspection on the completion of the installation, modification, or alteration of such an elevator before it can be placed in service. The Commissioner is prohibited from disclosing to the public any information pertaining to the registered elevator unit installed in a privately owned single-family residence, the Commissioner must also delete certain registration information on the completion of the final inspection on a certain unit.

The owner or lessee of each privately owned single-family residential elevator installed on or after October 1, 2023, must register the elevator with the Commissioner of Labor and Industry 60 days prior to its planned completion and before it is placed in service. The owners do not need to reregister their elevators following initial certification, as otherwise required in current law.