When it comes to construction, a nationwide rule on protective equipment is now in effect while a handful of states—California, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, and Virginia—have passed regulations intended to boost worker safety or make it easier to build.
Here’s a look at the new laws you need to be aware of in 2025:
NATIONWIDE
OSHA says all personal protective equipment (PPE) must “properly fit”
OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, has a new rule that says all personal protective equipment (PPE) used in construction must “properly fit” workers.
What counts as PPE?
According to OSHA, this rule affects hard hats, gloves, goggles, safety shoes, safety glasses, welding helmets and goggles, hearing protection devices, respirators, coveralls, vests, harnesses, and full body suits.
What does “properly fit” mean?
OSHA’s definition of “properly fit” is “the appropriate size to provide an employee with the necessary protection from hazards and does not create additional safety and health hazards arising from being either too small or too large.”
What do employers need to do?
Employers will need to look at their current PPE offerings and provide new options if they find their workers have equipment that doesn’t fit them comfortably.
Be aware the new rule also affects the equipment workers bring in from home. OSHA says, “even when employees provide their own PPE, the employer must assure its adequacy, including proper maintenance, and sanitation.”
The new rules became official on January 13, 2025, but OSHA is quick to point out they have been a part of their general industry standards for years. The difference? Construction businesses were not required to follow them until now.
CALIFORNIA
Much stricter lead exposure limits
Cal/OSHA is one of 22 state-specific OSHA off-shoots that can set their own workplace regulations. Beginning in 2025, Cal/OSHA is enforcing a much stricter standard on how much lead a worker can be exposed to on California jobsites.
Nationwide, the permissible exposure limit (PEL) is 50 micrograms per cubic meter and the action level (AL) is 30 micrograms per cubic meter. California’s new law now limits PEL to 10 micrograms per cubic meter and the AL to 2 micrograms per cubic meter.
Updates to contractor licensing
Another new law in California aims to ease the process of getting a contractors license.
Until now, applying for a license required you to submit an “employment duty statement” filled out by an employer. The new law removes that requirement.
The law also allows contractors licenses to be issued to federally recognized tribes, allowing tribal businesses to take on projects off tribal lands.
Other portions of the law require all bidders on public works projects have correct licenses and require contractors to reimburse the Contractors State License Board (CSLB) to settle workmanship complaints.
Minimum parking requirements eliminated
California has done away with minimum parking requirements for any new residential, commercial, or other type of project if they are within a half-mile of a “major transit stop.” The law says the “major transit stop” category now includes areas where bus routes run every 20 minutes. The law used to be 15 minutes.
FLORIDA
Shorter waits for building permits
Builders in Florida won’t have to wait as long to get building permits approved. A new state law gives local governments 30 business days to approve or deny permits for buildings up to 7,500 square feet in size, and 60 business days for larger buildings. Before 2025, governments could take up to 120 days to rule on permits.
Florida’s also shortening the window to reject incomplete building permit applications. Local governments used to have 10 business days to let you know your application was incomplete. Now they only have five business days. What’s more, application fees will decrease 10% each day a government agency goes over the deadline.
Expanding private activity bonds
Private activity bonds (PABs) are tax-exempt bonds that are issued for affordable housing and other projects considered to benefit the public. A new state law aims to streamline the process of issuing PABs to help promote their use, especially for affordable and multi-family housing.
INDIANA
Call before you dig, no matter what
Anyone performing an excavation project in Indiana must now contact Indiana 811 at least two working days before starting a dig. Violations of this new law could result in fines up to $10,000, according to the state.
MARYLAND
Higher fines for speeding in work zones
Maryland already doubled fines for speeding in work zones in 2024. Now they’re even higher, in hopes of making things safer for construction crews. Drivers were facing the same $80 fine, no matter their speed. Maryland’s new law creates tiers, so the more a driver speeds the more they pay. Fines can now reach up to $1,000 if workers are present when a driver is caught speeding.
The focus on raising fines came about after six highway workers were killed by a speeding driver in Baltimore in 2023.
VIRGINIA
Road project database requirement
It’ll now be easier to get information on highway projects in Virginia. The commonwealth is requiring its Department of Transportation to create a public database of all approved and planned residential road projects. The database has not yet launched, but each listing must include a location, map, the companies involved, and all related dates.
As you look to bid on projects this year, it’s important to know about the new laws that could impact your business. From OSHA’s new rules on PPE to state-specific regulations, we’re seeing more changes aimed at worker safety and improved efficiency.
No matter the state you work in, you can always access hundreds of thousands of active construction projects with ConstructConnect®.
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