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Board adopts 2025 Ventura County building code updates, limits local residential amendments per state law
Summary
The Board of Supervisors adopted updated county building code regulations that align with the 2022/2025 California building standards and preserve several local amendments while acknowledging state limits on new residential changes enacted to speed wildfire rebuilds.
Ventura County supervisors adopted the 2025 Ventura County Building Code on Sept. 30, updating local code references to the newest California Building Standards and re‑affirming existing local amendments where state law allows.
What the ordinance does: Resource Management Agency staff told the board this is the tri‑annual code cycle: it adopts the latest state model codes and incorporates local amendments where the state permits. Planning and building staff explained that recent state legislation (identified in staff remarks as Assembly Bill 130) restricts new local amendments to residential building code provisions for wildfire rebuilds; as a result, the county’s 2025 package preserves earlier local amendments and makes mostly administrative and customer‑service changes.
Key local changes: The county carried forward prior Ventura County amendments for radon controls, grading and foundation provisions for hillside construction, private sewage system rules, pool and property‑maintenance provisions and voluntary incentives for all‑electric construction. Staff proposed customer‑service changes that include increasing general building permit expiration from 12 to 18 months, extending demolition permit expiry from 30 days to six months, and continuing voluntary fee incentives for all‑electric buildings through 2028.
Public comment and staff response: A small number of public comments focused on agricultural produce stand rules and technical clarifications; staff said it adjusted the agricultural produce‑stand language to “agricultural product stands” and loosened the setback requirement from 30 feet to 10 feet to allow non‑produce products (honey, flowers, etc.) when permitted by public‑health and planning review. The county did not adopt new residential restrictions that the state law precluded.
Vote: Motion to adopt the Ventura County Building Code ordinance (title read in full on the record); moved by Supervisor Gurel, seconded by Chair Parvin. Outcome: unanimous approval.
Why it matters: The update brings county construction regulations into alignment with the most recent state codes while preserving locally tailored standards — particularly in fire‑risk and geological hazard areas — and introduces several procedural changes meant to reduce permit delays for applicants.
