Construction Alert
(by David White, James Miller and Marc Felezzola)
As part of a three phase plan for Pennsylvania overcoming the COVID-19 Pandemic, Governor Tom Wolf announced on Monday, April 20, 2020 that limited construction activities may recommence on May 8, 2020 for non-exempt projects in Pennsylvania. Although the full details regarding the plan have not yet been released, it is clear that all construction work must comply with the Governor’s and Secretary of Health’s April 20, 2020 amendments to their business closure orders and must be in strict compliance with the administration’s guidance referenced in those amendments, all of which are available below:
- Governor Wolf’s April 20 Business Amendment
- Health Secretary’s April 20 Business Amendment
- Health Secretary’s Health Safety Measures for In-person Operations
- Life Sustaining Business FAQ
- PA Industry Operation Guidance (Matrix)
While the details regarding the limited recommencement of construction activities have not yet been released, it is believed the Governor will issue the following guidelines:
- For residential construction, only four workers will be allowed to be on the jobsite at one time.
- For commercial construction, four workers will be allowed on a jobsite at one time for projects of 2,000 square feet or less; and for every 500 square feet, an additional worker may be added. This would apply to all construction, even the current healthcare and waiver approved projects. For example: a 5,000 square foot construction project will be allowed ten workers on site (4 workers for 2,000 SF and an additional 6 workers when considering the 3,000 SF).
The above potential guidelines are subject to change before May 8, 2020; we will provide another update once we have more information on the final guidelines.
Babst Calland’s construction attorneys are closely monitoring these developments and providing input to our clients. For more information, please contact David E. White at 412-394-5680 or dwhite@babstcalland.com, James D. Miller at 412-394-6438 or jmiller@babstcalland.com, or Marc J. Felezzola at 412-773-8705 or mfelezzola@babstcalland.com.
