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Council adopts local amendments to state building and energy codes, approves $96,000 appropriation for REACH work
Summary
Council unanimously adopted a package of ordinances updating local amendments to multiple parts of the California Building Standards Code, including green‑building and EV readiness provisions, and approved a $96,000 appropriation from the budget stabilization reserve for further REACH code work.
The City Council on Oct. 6 approved a set of ordinances to adopt local amendments to the California Building Standards Code and related municipal code sections, including updates to green‑building pathways, EV readiness, embodied carbon thresholds and building‑code sprinkler triggers. Council also approved an appropriation of $96,000 from the budget stabilization reserve to fund additional reach‑code development work.
Why it matters: The triannual state code update affects construction standards, energy performance and local sustainability goals; Palo Alto’s local amendments can be more stringent than state minimums and aim to meet local climate and resilience objectives.
Key actions and rationale: Building Official George Hoyt and Utilities resource planner Tim Scott presented the recommended amendments and timeline. Scott summarized proposed green‑building changes including permitting LEED certification as an alternative pathway to CalGreen Tier 1 and Tier 2 (with continued retention of key prerequisites such as construction‑waste and EV charging requirements). Staff proposed lowering the local threshold for embodied‑carbon compliance to 25,000 square feet to capture more projects locally. The council also adopted updates to EV readiness requirements and alignment of parking‑category formatting with state code, and amendments to plumbing and fire code sections related to grease interceptors and sprinkler design.
Budget and timing: Staff said Assembly Bill 130—state legislation affecting local amendments—created extra workload and schedule constraints for this code cycle. The council approved a $96,000 appropriation to Planning and Development Services from the budget stabilization reserve to support spring 2026 REACH code development, when updated statewide cost‑effectiveness studies will be available.
Vote: The council approved the ordinances and appropriation unanimously (6–0, Mayor Loughing absent).
Ending: Staff indicated additional related fire code amendments (including wildland‑urban‑interface code adoption) will return to the council on a future consent calendar for consideration.
