SAFER SKIES Act

119th Congress Introduced by Chuck Grassley and 3 co-sponsors

Requires construction permit applicants to disclose funding sources and amounts, updated before occupancy; rules define disclosures, with exemptions for single-family homes.

Introduced in Senate

Overview / Purpose

S 3481 requires applicants for construction permits under New Jersey’s State Uniform Construction Code to disclose the anticipated amounts and sources of funding for the proposed construction project. The bill is intended to increase transparency about who is financing construction and to ensure that enforcing agencies have up‑to‑date information before issuing certificates of occupancy.

Current-version sponsors: Senators Andrew Zwicker and Benjie E. Wimberly.

Key provisions

Permit application disclosure requirement

An application for a construction permit must include information sufficient to identify the anticipated amounts and sources of funding for the construction project, consistent with rules the Commissioner of Community Affairs will adopt.

Certification / update at certificate of occupancy

Before issuance of a certificate of occupancy, the enforcing agency must require the applicant to either:
certify that the funding information previously submitted remains accurate; or
provide updated, accurate information identifying the amounts and sources of funding.

Rulemaking

The Commissioner of Community Affairs must adopt rules (pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act) within 180 days after enactment to specify how applicants identify and disclose funders, investors, or financiers.

Exemptions

Requirements do not apply to:
a single‑family home;
renovations or repairs of “dwelling units” as defined in the bill; or
alterations or reconstruction of certain structures and buildings, including alterations/reconstruction of an individual dwelling unit.
Committee amendments clarified definitions of “dwelling unit” and “single‑family home” and refined the exemption language.

Effective date

The act would take effect on the first day of the ninth month following enactment.

Who would be affected

Directly affected:

Construction permit applicants (developers, property owners, contractors) for non‑exempt projects.
Lenders, investors, and other financiers whose identities/roles may need to be disclosed.
Local construction code enforcing agencies required to collect and verify funding disclosures prior to issuing certificates of occupancy.

Indirectly affected:

Municipalities tracking project financing and compliance.
Parties concerned with confidentiality of financing arrangements (potential administrative or legal questions about proprietary/financial privacy).

Procedural / status notes

Introduced: June 20, 2024.

Reported out of the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee with amendments: March 17, 2025.

Referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee: March 24, 2025.

Effective timing: rules within 180 days of enactment; statutory effective date is first day of the ninth month after enactment.

Related/companion measures: A4626 and A5584 (Assembly companions); prior-session S7650.

Potential impacts and considerations

Increased transparency about project financing may help combat illicit financing and improve municipal oversight of development.

The requirement could impose new administrative tasks on applicants and local enforcement agencies, and raise confidentiality concerns for private financiers; the forthcoming rules will be important in defining disclosure scope, confidentiality protections, and enforcement mechanisms.

Exemptions for single‑family homes and many residential repairs limit impact on small homeowners.

Bill