Title 21 — Real Property

(a) Legislative Findings and Intent. The Legislature finds that the Building Permits and Design Analysis Section of the Department of Public Works is currently backlogged with plan reviews and building inspections, which backlog causes developers many problems with their loans an…

(a) All unsafe buildings and structures are hereby declared to be illegal, and shall be vacated and either repaired or demolished, in accordance with the procedure established by this Chapter. (b) For the purpose of this Chapter, unsafe buildings are all buildings and structures …

The building official shall examine or cause to be examined every unsafe or damaged building or structure. He shall make or cause to be made, a written record of such examination, which shall set forth a factual description of the premises and specifically enumerate the particula…

(a) The building official, whenever he shall make a finding, as a result of the examination required in § 66502, shall: (1) Notify in writing, by personal service, certified mail, or registered mail, the owner, occupant, lessee, mortgagee, agent, and other persons having an inter…

The building official, whenever he determines that a building, structure, or portion thereof, constitutes an unsafe structure, as defined in § 66501 of this Article, shall order the buildings, structure, or portion thereof, to be vacated at once and not reoccupied until issuance …

(a) The building official, on the vacation of any building in accordance with the provisions of § 66503 or § 66504, shall post or cause to be posted at each entrance to the building, a sign stating: “This building is unsafe and its use or occupancy is prohibited by the Director o…

(a) In case there shall be, in the opinion of the building official, actual and immediate danger of failure or collapse of a building or structure, or any part thereof so as to endanger life or property, he shall promptly cause such building or structure to be made temporarily sa…

(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to construct, alter, repair, move, remove, demolish, equip, use, occupy or maintain any building or structure or portion thereof in Guam contrary to any provision of this Chapter. (b) Any person violating the provisions of this Chapter shal…

Commission; Appeals. (a) Guam Building Code Council. The Guam Building Code Council shall sit as a Board of Appeals (Board) to hear appeals of any decision of the building official relative to the suitability of alternate materials and methods of construction, and to provide for …

No member of the Commission shall pass on any question in which he is engaged as contractor, material man, preparer of the plans and specifications or in which he has any personal interest. SOURCE: GC § 31056.

During absence of a member by reason of disability or disqualification, the Governor may designate a qualified substitute; which substitute shall, insofar as possible, represent the same type of expert knowledge as the member replaced. SOURCE: GC § 31057.

The Department of Public Works shall provide the Commission with such clerical personnel and office facilities as may be reasonably necessary to carry out the provision of this Chapter. SOURCE: GC § 31059.

The Commission shall keep permanent and accurate records of all its activities including a record of every tally vote. SOURCE: GC § 31060.

The Commission shall establish rules for its own procedure, not inconsistent with the provisions of this Chapter. SOURCE: GC § 31061.

Any party adversely affected or aggrieved by any order, requirement, decision or determination of the building official or his authorized representative, or any rule, regulation or amendment or repeal thereof, may appeal from such action to the Commission. COL 2026-06-10 SOURCE: …

Any appeal from an action of the building official shall be made within fifteen (15) calendar days, including Sundays and holidays, after the action complained of by filing with the building official and with the Commission a notice of appeal specifying the grounds thereof. SOURC…

The building official, upon receipt of the notice of appeal, shall transmit to the Commission all of the records upon which the action appealed from was taken. SOURCE: GC § 31064.

The Commission shall have power to stay all proceedings in a matter before the building official where an appeal has been duly filed or a review ordered by the Commission. SOURCE: GC § 31065.

The Commission shall fix a reasonable time for hearing appeals and shall give adequate notice to all parties in interest. All hearings shall be conducted according to rules established by the Commission but any party in interest may appear in person, or by a designated attorney o…

Any party in interest may cause a transcript of the hearing to be prepared at his own expense. SOURCE: GC § 31067.

The Commission after hearing an appeal, may reverse or affirm, in whole or in part, or modify the order, requirement, decision, determination, rule or regulation appealed from, and COL 2026-06-10 may make such order, requirement, decision or determination as in its opinion will b…

The Commission shall make decisions on each appeal in writing and within a reasonable time. It shall, without unreasonable delay cause to be served on the parties in interest, a copy of its decision. Additional copies of the decision shall be filed in the building records of the …

The building official shall serve as the agent of the Commission to execute its orders. SOURCE: GC § 31070.

Any party aggrieved by the decision of the Commission shall be entitled to judicial review thereof by application to the Superior Court within fifteen (15) days after the filing of the Commission’s decision in the building records of the Department of Public Works. SOURCE: GC § 3…

Whenever the Building Code, found in Chapter 67 of this Title, or its successor, used by the government of Guam is updated, the Department of Public Works shall notify in a COL 2026-06-10 newspaper of general circulation all parties who have completed construction who have been i…

Amendment. Whenever a building inspection of the Department of Public Works becomes aware of non-conforming construction in buildings which does not meet current safety standards as a result of amendments or updates made to the International Building Code subsequent to approval o…

COL 2026-06-10 Maintenance Code for Hotel Zoned (H) Properties. The Department of Public Works (DPW) shall implement, and duly adopt in whole or in part, the “International Property Maintenance Code” (IPMC) for buildings, other structures, parking lots and green areas located on …

Any request by the Board of Directors of GVB or DPW to implement or amend the IPMC, shall be in the form or a board resolution and include, but not limited to, the following: (a) Scope of the types of properties subject to the IPMC, (b) The standards of compliance with the IPMC, …

with the IPMC. Civil penalties for violations and non-compliance with the provisions of the IPMC, as adopted, implemented and amended shall not be less than Twenty-Five Dollars ($25.00) and no more than Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000) for each violation.

DPW shall create a fee schedule pursuant to the provisions Chapter 9, 5 GCA. Fees may include, but not be limited to, permitting, inspection, and reinspection fees. In the absence of adjudicated fees related to the IPMC, DPW may use its existing fee schedule until such fees are d…

The adopted IPMC shall be codified in Title 29, Guam Administrative Rules and Regulations along with the schedule of fees and penalties. COL 2026-06-10 SOURCE: Entire article added by P.L.38-127:2 (June 3, 2026), effective one year from date of enactment. --------- COL 2026-06-10…