# § 2856b. Covered military unaccompanied housing: standards for habitability
**(a)** **Standards Required.—** For the purposes of assigning a member of the armed forces to a unit of covered military unaccompanied housing, the Secretary of Defense shall establish uniform minimum standards for covered military unaccompanied housing, that shall include minimum requirements for—
**(1)** condition;
**(2)** habitability, health, and environmental comfort;
**(3)** safety and security; and
**(4)** any other element the Secretary of Defense determines appropriate.
**(b)** **Limitation on Issuance of Waivers.—** Any waiver of a uniform standard described in subsection (a) may only be issued by a Secretary of a military department.
**(c)** **Certification.—** The Secretary of Defense shall include, in conjunction with the submission of the budget of the President to Congress pursuant to section 1105 of title 31, a certification from each Secretary of a military department to the congressional defense committees that the cost for all needed repairs and improvements for each occupied covered military unaccompanied housing facility under the jurisdiction of such Secretary does not exceed 20 percent of the replacement cost of such facility, as mandated by Department of Defense Manual 4165.63 titled “DoD Housing Management” and dated October 28, 2010 (or a successor document).
---
**Source Credit**: (Added and amended Pub. L. 118–31, div. B, title XXVIII, §§ 2832(a), 2834, Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 754, 757.)
## Editorial Notes
### Codification
, , , which directed amendment of “Subchapter III of title 10” by adding this section after , was executed to subchapter III of chapter 169 of this title, to reflect the probable intent of Congress.
### Amendments
2023—Subsec. (c). , added subsec. (c).
## Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
### Guidance
> “Not later than 30 days after the date on which the Secretary of Defense develops the uniform standards under
>
> , United States Code (as added by subsection (a)), the Secretary of Defense shall issue to each Secretary of a military department guidance on such uniform standards.”
, , , provided that:
### Definitions
For definition of “covered military unaccompanied housing” as used in this section, see .