Encinitas council unanimously readopts local reach codes before state moratorium

The Encinitas City Council voted unanimously to readopt the city's existing local building, fire, energy and green-building code amendments before an October 1, 2025, moratorium created by Assembly Bill 130.

City staff presented three options: (1) readopt all existing local amendments before October 1; (2) readopt selected amendments before October 1 and defer others; or (3) postpone readoption and rely on limited exceptions in AB 130 to adopt residential amendments after October 1. Crystal (city staff presenter) and Ryan Lampkin (sustainability analyst) told council staff recommended option 1 as the least legally risky approach because AB 130 is new and state guidance on its six exceptions is not yet available.

The council's action preserves four sets of local amendments the staff identified as already in effect under the 2022 code and proposed for readoption under the 2025 code: Ordinance No. 2022-12 (building and fire code amendments including definitions, fees, vegetation/fuel-management and flammable gas restrictions), Ordinance No. 2022-13 (2022 energy code amendments, expanded retrofit options, and nonresidential/high-rise solar requirements), Ordinance No. 2022-14 (building code amendments including graywater pre-plumbing and EV-charging requirements), and Ordinance No. 2024-04 (high-performance energy-efficiency requirement for single-family and low-rise multifamily). Staff noted two reach-code measures remain pending required cost-effectiveness studies: the high-performance energy-efficiency standard (potentially widening to additional building types) and a…