Fire district board adopts 2025 California Fire Code by reference

The Arcata Fire District board voted to adopt Ordinance 25-23, which incorporates the 2025 edition of the California Fire Code and the 2024 International Fire Code with specified local amendments.

Staff told the board that the California Building Standards Commission publishes model codes on a three-year cycle and that local agencies have 180 days after publication to make local amendments. Staff said the district has until Jan. 1, 2026, to finalize local changes before the model codes take effect. "Staff's recommendation is that the board adopt the 2025 edition of the California Fire Code and 2024 International Fire Code with certain local amendments," a staff member said during the hearing.

Board members opened and closed a public hearing on the ordinance as required by statute for an adoption-by-reference action and then moved to adopt the ordinance. The clerk called the roll; the recorded votes were Yes from the board president and attending directors, with one director recorded absent. The motion passed.

The ordinance, as presented, represents a cooperative, regionally consistent set of amendments developed with Humboldt County fire prevention officers, staff said, with the aim of aligning local requirements across neighboring jurisdictions and simplifying expectations for contractors and developers.

Adopting the updated codes will also require any locally adopted amendments to be posted and incorporated into the district's regulatory materials. Staff indicated the board's action follows the procedural requirements in the California Government Code sections cited in staff materials for adoptions by reference.

The board moved on to other business after the vote.