San Mateo council introduces 2025 building code ordinance, adds new wildfire and gate-safety rules

San Mateo city officials on Monday introduced an ordinance to adopt the 2025 editions of the California Building Standards Codes with targeted local amendments, including a newly created Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) chapter and a measure on gate safety.

The proposal, introduced by Michael Titsworth, deputy director of community development and building official, would amend Title 23 of the San Mateo Municipal Code and adopt findings required under state law that the local amendments are reasonably necessary “based on local climatic, geological, and topographical conditions.” Titsworth said the adoption aligns the city with the 2025 statewide code, which becomes effective Jan. 1, 2026, unless a local jurisdiction adopts more stringent amendments.

Why this matters: The ordinance packages multiple technical updates that staff said are narrowly focused on seismic safety, fire protection, and energy resilience. The package includes the new Chapter 23.29 WUI code intended to reduce wildfire risk where urban development meets wildland vegetation and a gate-safety provision to reduce incidents of large gates detaching and causing harm.

Titsworth outlined the scope and timeline of the proposal, saying the state code is updated triennially and that the city’s recommended amendments are largely continuations or minor corrections to prior local amendments. “This report includes the newly created Wildland Urban Interface Code or WUI code,” Titsworth said. “Its purpose is to establish consistent construction and defensible space standards that enhance community resilience and reduce wildfire loss.”

Fire department officials answered council questions about the geographical scope of WUI mapping. The fire chief explained that Cal Fire and the city review and publish maps and that recent map updates reduced the number of parcels subject to WUI rules in San Mateo. The chief said the maps are not reviewed annually but are reassessed periodically in light of statewide conditions.

Council member Diaz Nash asked for clearer public communication about exactly which neighborhoods would fall under the WUI rules; staff said the fire department’s maps identify the specific blocks and that the city will enforce regulations for areas shown on the adopted maps. Titsworth also noted a continuity of previously adopted amendments, such as seismic design updates to shear walls and flood-resistance alignments with FEMA requirements.

On gate safety, Titsworth and staff described the technical intent: gates over a certain size and weight must include provisions preventing them from falling over and must be able to remain in an upright position at specified angles; the means to achieve that compliance are left to manufacturers, fabricators, or property owners.

Council action: Council voted 4-0 to adopt a resolution making the required express findings and to introduce the ordinance amending Title 23 to adopt the 2025 codes with local amendments. The item will return for final adoption at a subsequent meeting.

What’s next: Staff said the ordinance introduction begins the formal adoption process; the council must adopt the ordinance at a future meeting for the local amendments to take effect. Staff also noted separate work on REACH energy-code amendments is continuing under a different timeline and is not part of this ordinance.

Ending: The council’s unanimous vote to introduce the ordinance moves San Mateo toward aligning with the statewide 2025 code cycle and toward implementing local provisions aimed at wildfire resilience and public-safety protections.