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San Rafael Council adopts 2025 building-code updates after AB 130 clarification
Summary
The City Council on a 5-0 vote adopted an ordinance updating San Rafael's building and residential codes to the 2025 California editions, responding to state Assembly Bill 130 and including a local cost-effectiveness analysis; some later-proposed 2029 standards were removed after state feedback.
The San Rafael City Council voted 5-0 to adopt an ordinance updating Title 12 of the municipal code to adopt the 2025 editions of the California building, residential, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, existing building, green building standards and energy codes, along with related reference standards and local amendments. The adoption followed staff revisions prompted by a recent state law.
City staff said the changes were prompted by Assembly Bill 130 this summer, which limits local changes to the residential code after Sept. 30 unless specific exemptions apply. Greg Minor, a City of San Rafael Community and Economic Development Department staff member, told the council, "The catalyst for this update to the building code was the passage of state Assembly Bill 130 this summer." He explained staff removed proposed 2029 energy upgrades from the local ordinance after the California Energy Commission said those later updates could not be approved because they depended on a 2028 state code update.
The ordinance before the council on second and third reading also incorporated a San Rafael-specific cost-effectiveness memo, which staff added after the council requested more localized analysis at an earlier meeting. Bill Carney of Sustainable San Rafael urged the council to consider available exemptions under AB 130 during the next code cycle so the city could pursue higher electrification targets; he said, "This is one step towards the very important goal of getting complete building electrification in San Rafael."
Council members asked clarifying questions about the changes and thanked staff for the additional cost analysis. Councilmember Hill said staff had approached the issue carefully and thanked them for their work. After a motion to adopt the ordinance and a second, the council voted by roll call: Vice Mayor Bushey, Councilmember Hill, Councilmember Kurtz, Councilmember Yvran Scalati, and Mayor Kate Cullen each voted aye. The ordinance passed 5-0 and took immediate effect as provided by the municipal code.
The adopted ordinance text repeals and replaces Title 12 and lists the specific state and national codes incorporated, including the 2025 California codes and the 2024 International Property Maintenance Code with local amendments. The council and staff noted that some future, more stringent local energy measures originally considered for 2029 were removed because the state process would not allow them now; staff said the city retains the option to revisit elevated targets in subsequent code cycles and agreed to continue monitoring state guidance.
What the action does not do: the council did not adopt the 2029 energy provisions that had appeared in an earlier draft, and staff emphasized that any further local reach-code amendments would be considered only where legally allowable and following required cost-effectiveness analysis.
The council took public comment on the ordinance; Bill Carney (Sustainable San Rafael) spoke in support of the strengthened provisions and urged the city to use AB 130 exemptions where possible. No other public commenters requested time on this item.
