Taubaté City Hall published this Tuesday (21) the sanction of the new Works and Buildings Code, which promotes the complete review of the 1994 law, which remained in force and without updates for more than thirty years. The proposal aims to modernize and simplify processes and bring more legal certainty to citizens and professionals in the area, and comes into force in 90 days. Approved by the City Council, the project seeks to improve the urban licensing process, making it more efficient and accessible; in addition to promoting the reduction of bureaucracy, in order to speed up the approval of projects and thus guarantee greater predictability and legal security for both large projects and small builders, without prejudice to the essential technical requirements. The lag in the law, which has not been updated for 32 years, has resulted in excessive bureaucracy, the imposition of outdated construction methods, references to revoked technical standards and, above all, legal uncertainty, especially for professionals in the sector and citizens, bringing economic losses and fewer investments in construction. The modernization of legislation aims to contribute to the promotion of civil construction and, subsequently, to economic development and job creation; in addition to encouraging the regularization of buildings, with clearer rules and more agile processes; and stimulate innovation in the sector, promoting an environment favorable to the city's sustainable growth. The proposal, prepared by technicians from the Secretariat of Urban Planning and Housing, followed a transparent and democratic participatory process, with the holding of public events, such as meetings and hearings, which included the participation of representatives of public authorities, architects, engineers and society in general. Among the main innovations, the following stand out: DEBUREAUCRATIZATION AND AGILITY IN LICENSING - Expansion of the Electronic Rapid Permit (ARE), with authorization to carry out works, under the exclusive responsibility of the applicant and qualified professionals, eliminating the need for prior analysis by municipal technicians, bringing agility to those who need to start construction. - Exemption from license for repair works and internal renovations. - Self-declaratory procedures for external renovations, demolitions and other works provided for by law. - In the regularization of existing buildings, implementation of Responsible Inspection. - Staged approval for projects of any size. LEGALIZATION AND REGULARIZATION OF EXISTING BUILDINGS - Establishes a new cut-off line, based on the date of publication of the new Code, making it possible to legalize buildings currently in non-compliance, remembering that today it is only possible to regularize properties that comply with legislation; - With the responsible inspection, the hired professional will carry out the photographic and typology report, without the need to schedule an appointment with the City Hall technician, this way the permit will be issued faster; - Simplification and reduction of fines, facilitating regularization and consequently financing for those who want to sell their property that is illegal. Example of regularization and legalization of a 100 m² house (regular typology): - Currently: fines (5 UFMT) + compensation (8% of the UFMT) depending on the type of construction (varying between 4% and 12%), totaling R$ 3,659.00. - New Works and Buildings Code: only 5% of the UFMT on the area to be regularized, totaling R$ 1,408.00. Remembering that the UFMT (Tax Unit of the Municipality of Taubaté) 2026 is equivalent to R$ 281.52 MODERNIZATION OF SECURITY REQUIREMENTS - The AVCB is now required exclusively for the purposes of municipal registration of commercial activities and services, no longer being a requirement for issuing the Occupancy Permit for non-residential buildings. SUSTAINABILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL EFFICIENCY - Encouraging the adoption of sustainable practices, such as: reuse of rainwater, use of solar energy, implementation of selective collection systems; - Creation of the Sustainable Taubaté Seal, designed to recognize buildings that adopt good environmental practices. - Permeability rate with clearer and more objective compensations; - New construction techniques are incorporated into the Building Code, such as container construction, wood/steel frame. ACCESSIBILITY - Full compliance with ABNT NBR 9050 guidelines, with objective definition of accessible sidewalk models, access ramps, handrails, tactile signage, accessible toilets; - Expansions intended exclusively for the installation of accessibility equipment will not be included in urban planning indexes, removing legal obstacles to the adaptation of existing buildings. SOCIAL INTEREST HOUSING AND HOUSING POLICY - Approval of Social Interest Housing (HIS) with requirements compatible with its purpose; - Legalization and regularization of HIS will be exempt from fines; - Institution of Technical Assistance in Social Housing (ATHIS), ensuring free technical assistance by architects, engineers and urban planners to families with an income of up to three minimum wages; - Adequacy of construction parameters for HIS, including reducing the requirement for parking spaces, expanding economic viability and housing supply. RURAL AREA - Exemption from licensing for rural works intended for single-family homes to support agricultural activities, respecting applicable environmental and urban planning legislation. SUPERVISION OF WORKS - The Code improves supervision mechanisms, providing greater transparency to procedures, with a clear definition of decision-making bodies, objective rules for lodging appeals and classifying infractions according to their severity; - Adjustment of fine amounts; - Penalties differentiated by type of enterprise; - New table of fines is fairer, more logical and, in most cases, cheaper, being more proportional to the infractions. The size criterion of the work will be replaced