Hemet adopts urgency ordinance to lock in local fire inspection standards ahead of AB 306 moratorium

The Hemet City Council voted 5-0 on Aug. 28 to adopt an urgency ordinance establishing local fire-design standards, formally memorializing the city’s business fire-inspection program and approving a fee schedule for inspections, Interim Fire Chief Ryan Webb said.

The ordinance takes immediate effect and was presented by Interim Fire Chief Ryan Webb as a response to Assembly Bill 306, which Webb said “created a timeline that restricted the changes that can be made for residential building code prior to a 6 year moratorium.” He told the council that changes to the city’s fire-related code and local amendments must be adopted before Sept. 1 to remain allowed under AB 306.

Why this matters: The ordinance is intended to give builders and property owners clear, published expectations for fire apparatus access, site design and business inspections and to preserve Hemet’s ability to adopt local safety measures during the state moratorium. Webb said the design standards will be published so developers “know what our expectations are ahead of time” and to reduce late-stage plan revisions.

Council discussion and public concerns

Public commenters raised concerns about inspection costs. Grant Brubaker, a local resident and commenter, told the council he was puzzled by the urgency and said the ordinance “defeats the whole purpose of…stability, from a development standpoint” if new standards can be changed quickly. Morgan McComas, another commenter, criticized the fee side of the program: “I just wanna talk about the fee status on $300 to inspect local businesses. I don't like any of the our taxpayer funded stuff passed on to the business community.”

Councilmembers pressed staff on outreach and timing. Councilmember Connie Clark and others urged the city to notify businesses ahead of renewed inspections; Webb acknowledged prior social-media posts in 2022 but agreed broader outreach is appropriate and said staff would return with more communications and options.

Formal action

The council approved the urgency ordinance by a 5-0 roll call. Councilmember Clark moved the ordinance, Councilmember Mailes seconded, and the motion passed with all five members voting yes. The ordinance’s provisions include (per staff presentation): establishment of design standards for fire apparatus access and site layout; formalization of the City’s business/fire prevention inspections program; and adoption of the municipal fee structure tied to those inspections. Staff said the published design standards will be developed by the fire prevention staff and presented to the council for ratification and approval.

Staff follow-up

City staff told the council the fee study that set inspection fees will be revisited and adjustments may be proposed; staff also said a previously issued individual fine (raised during public comment) can be brought back to council for review. Webb said the city averages about 50 structure fires a year and framed the work as an effort to reduce preventable hazards and improve responder information (for example, storage of flammables, Knox Box locations and updated contact information for properties).

The council directed staff to prepare outreach (mailers, flyers and business-walk handouts were discussed) and to return with any recommended revisions to the fee study.

Ending

The urgency ordinance was adopted to preserve Hemet’s ability to set local fire-safety requirements before the state moratorium on certain residential-code changes takes effect. Staff will publish the design standards and pursue broader notice to businesses, and the council expects to review the fee study and individual appeals at a later meeting.