481—60.2(135C) General requirements. Residential care facilities licensed under this chapter shall be built in accordance with the following construction standards:
	60.2(1) Construction shall be in conformance with 661—Chapter 201.
	60.2(2) Construction shall be in conformance with 661—Chapter 301. Projects meeting the local building code shall be deemed to be in compliance with the state building code provided that the local jurisdiction has established a building department, has adopted a building code by ordinance and enforces the local code through a system that includes both plan review and inspection.
	60.2(3) Nothing in these rules shall relieve a residential care facility from compliance with fire and building codes, ordinances and regulations that are enforced by a city, county, state or federal jurisdiction.
	60.2(4) Any alteration or installation of new equipment shall be accomplished as nearly as practical in conformance with all applicable codes, ordinances, regulations and standards required for new construction. Alteration or installation of new equipment shall not diminish the level of compliance with any codes, ordinances, regulations or standards below that existed prior to the alteration. Any feature that does not meet the requirement for new buildings but exceeds the requirement for existing buildings shall not be further diminished. Features that exceed requirements for new construction need not be maintained. In no case shall any feature be less than that required for existing buildings. (III)
	60.2(5) Existing residential care facilities built in compliance with prior versions of this chapter will be deemed in compliance, with the exception of any renovations, additions, functional alterations, changes of space utilization, or conversions to existing facilities for which construction documents are submitted pursuant to rule 481—60.3(135C) on or after July 1, 2023, which shall meet the standards specified in this chapter. Conversion of a building or any of the parts not currently licensed as a nursing facility must meet the rules governing construction of new facilities.
	60.2(6) Final plan approval and final occupancy shall be given by the state fire marshal’s office.
[ARC 7036C, IAB 5/31/23, effective 7/5/23]