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City staff briefs council on state'level AB306/AB130 building-code freeze and proposed local urgency ordinance
Summary
Staff warned the council Aug. 11 that a provision folded into the state budget will freeze many residential building-code changes from Oct. 1, 2025 through June 1, 2031 and limit local governments'ability to adopt stricter standards; staff plans an urgency ordinance to preserve a local sprinkler requirement for new or resided mobile homes.
City staff alerted the council Aug. 11 to a state action folding AB306 into the budget bill (AB130) that will effectively freeze major residential building-code changes statewide from Oct. 1, 2025 through June 1, 2031.
The staff presentation explained the freeze will bar the California Building Standards Commission from adopting significant changes to residential building codes during that period and will limit local governments'ability to adopt more stringent local standards, except for narrowly defined severe health-and-safety exceptions or standards already in effect by Sept. 1, 2025.
Staff recommended the council consider an urgency ordinance at the next meeting to lock in a local requirement that newly installed or re-sided mobile homes include fire-sprinkler systems, because after the state's freeze the city would face a more onerous process to adopt such rules.
Staff emphasized another state provision called a "builder certainty" rule: model-home designs approved under codes in effect when a model is approved may remain grandfathered for up to 10 years, reducing the ability of local governments to impose new local standards on subsequent builds absent a development agreement.
Councilmembers acknowledged the staff briefing and staff said they will bring an urgency ordinance to the next meeting for council consideration.
