HER MAJESTY, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of British Columbia, enacts as follows:

1 Section 1 of the Building Act, S.B.C. 2015, c. 2, is amended by adding the following definitions:

"SAFERhome certified" means built to the SAFERhome Standards defined by the SAFERhome Standards Society and registered with the SAFERhome Standards Society;

"visitable" means designed for the purpose of allowing access by persons who use mobility aids in accordance with section 3 (3) (b);

"adaptable dwelling units" means the same as in the British Columbia Building Code Regulation; .

2 Section 3 is amended by adding the following subsections:

3) The minister must make regulations that require new housing developments with multiple units to:

(a) have a minimum ratio of homes that

(i) are adaptable dwelling units, where a unit has a single floor,

(ii) are SAFERhome certified, where a unit has more than one floor, and

(b) be visitable with

(i) at least one entrance flush to the floor of the unit,

(ii) all doors having a minimum, clear width of 815 millimeters when measured from the doorstop to the face of the door when open at a right angle, and

(iii) one accessible bathroom on the main floor of the building.

(4) The minister may confer, in writing, the authority to verify compliance with regulations established under section 3 (3) to a person or an organization.