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HB 2987

WAREHOUSE TORNADO PREPAREDNESS

104th Regular Session Introduced by Dee Avelar and 14 co-sponsors

Mandates site-specific tornado safety plans for each warehouse, with annual updates, filing with local fire and emergency agencies, and enhanced life-safety design for new warehous

Public Act . . . . . . . . . 104-0262
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Bill Summary · HB 2987

Summary — HB 2987 / Public Act 104‑0262

Warehouse Tornado Preparedness Act

Sponsor: Rep. Katie Stuart. Governor approved August 15, 2025. Public Act 104‑0262.

Purpose

To improve tornado and severe‑weather preparedness in warehouses by requiring site‑specific tornado safety plans, raising design/performance expectations for new warehouse facilities, and requiring certified building inspectors for county and municipal code enforcement.

Key definitions

  • "Warehouse" — buildings where warehouse workers perform duties and goods are stored in industries classified under NAICS: 493 (Warehousing & Storage); 423 (Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods); 424 (Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods); 454110 (Electronic Shopping & Mail‑Order Houses); 492110 (Couriers & Express Delivery Services).
  • "Warehouse worker" — any person who spends a majority of their working hours inside a warehouse (includes employees and independent contractors); excludes persons who enter only irregularly or briefly.

Major provisions

  1. Tornado safety plans (Section 10)

    • All warehouse operators must prepare a tornado safety plan for each warehouse:
      • Existing warehouses: within 120 days after the Act’s effective date.
      • New warehouses opened ≥120 days after the effective date: within 7 days after becoming operational.
    • Each plan must be site‑specific, reviewed and updated at least annually or whenever significant operational changes occur.
    • Operators are encouraged to coordinate with local fire departments and emergency/disaster agencies.
    • Plans must be filed with the local fire department or fire protection district and the local emergency services/disaster agency.
    • Minimum plan contents:
      • Floor plan showing emergency exits, assembly points, designated shelter areas, and orienting landmarks.
      • Written actions required of employees/supervisors during tornado warnings or severe weather.
      • Inventory of emergency equipment, locations, and usage instructions.
      • Written post‑event actions, including basic first aid procedures and guidelines for communications with coworkers and first responders.

  2. Inclement weather risk reduction for new construction (Section 15)

    • Warehouse facilities constructed after the Act’s effective date must provide means (by modification, installation, or rational analysis) to achieve a life‑safety performance level for tornado loading equivalent to or exceeding the life‑safety level for the most onerous other code‑prescribed extreme environmental load (e.g., hurricane, wind, earthquake, fire, flood).
    • Evaluations may use statistical/risk‑targeted approaches (e.g., ASCE/SEI 7‑22 Appendix G), non‑prescriptive performance‑based methods, or prescriptive FEMA guidance (FEMA P‑431) to qualify shelter/refuge areas.

  3. Building inspector certification (Sections 90 & 95; Counties & Municipal Codes)

    • Defines "building inspector" for counties and municipalities.
    • Building inspectors performing inspections/examinations must hold appropriate International Code Council (ICC) certifications for the area in which they inspect.
    • Counties/municipalities must keep copies of inspectors’ certifications on file.
    • Inspectors have a one‑year grace period from hire to obtain required certification.

Who is affected

  • Warehouse operators (responsible for creating, filing, and maintaining plans).
  • Warehouse workers (beneficiaries of safety planning; included in definition for capacity/planning).
  • Design professionals and builders of new warehouses (subject to tornado life‑safety performance expectations).
  • County and municipal governments and building inspectors (certification and recordkeeping requirements).

Timelines & effective dates

  • Governor approved: August 15, 2025.
  • The Act takes effect upon becoming law (Aug 15, 2025); some provisions (per amendment) — notably certain building inspector provisions — have a later effective date (e.g., January 1, 2027). (See Public Act text and Section 99/Amendments for exact staging.)

Notes / references

  • Allows performance‑based or prescriptive compliance routes (ASCE/SEI 7‑22 and FEMA P‑431 cited).
  • The enacted (enrolled) version focuses on plan requirements and performance targets; some earlier drafts included more prescriptive shelter capacity or supply lists that were modified in later amendments. For compliance, refer to the enacted Public Act 104‑0262 text.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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