Assembly committee advances 6-year pause on new residential building-code updates

Assemblymember Schultz introduced AB 306, a bill that would impose a six‑year moratorium on new updates to state building standards that affect residential construction, temporarily preventing local governments from adopting new residential‑only modifications except for emergency health‑and‑safety changes.

Supporters told the committee the pause is intended to reduce construction costs and give developers and affordable‑housing sponsors certainty as California rebuilds after recent Southern California wildfires and addresses a long‑running housing shortfall. "Temporarily pausing additional changes to the building code is one way to do that," Laura Archuleta, president and CEO of Jamboree Housing Corporation, said in testimony. "Affordable housing developers can rely on the project costs that they put in their performance" and avoid repeated re‑underwriting, she said.

The bill's author said AB 306 would affect only residential codes, not commercial standards, and would preserve the emergency rulemaking authority in Health and Safety Code section 18937. "This bill does not touch the emergency rule making process set forth in Health and Safety Code section 18937," the author told the committee, adding that emergency standards to protect public health and safety would still be permitted.

Supporters included the California Building Industry Association, represented by Silvio Ferrari, who told the committee the frequent triennial and 18‑month update cycles for Title 24 impose substantial and rising costs that can price buyers out of the market. "We are seeing that every 1% increase in energy efficiency is costing far more than it used to," Ferrari said. The California Association of Realtors, American Planning Association and numerous business and housing groups registered support, some conditioning that they want amendments or clarifications.

Opponents — including the Natural Resources Defense Council and local climate and resilience advocates — said the bill would tie lawmakers' and communities' hands for nearly a decade, preventing the state and local jurisdictions from adopting technological and safety improvements that can reduce costs or improve resilience. "This bill would functionally pause all code for almost a decade," Marian Borgerson of NRDC told the committee, adding that national and international code cycles would continue and California could fall behind on improvements that reduce costs for homeowners.

Andy Schroeder, who worked on Los Angeles electrification policy, said the moratorium would prevent cities from using reach codes to respond to worsening climate and wildfire risk, and could interfere with measures communities are using to make rebuilt homes insurable and more resilient.

Committee members acknowledged the competing goals. Assemblymember Wicks moved the bill; Assemblymember Quirk Silva seconded the motion. Members cited urgency to reduce housing costs in the wake of the fires, while several members urged ongoing negotiations between the author and opposition groups to narrow the bill’s scope or add clarifying amendments. The committee voted to pass AB 306 to the Assembly Committee on Appropriations.

Outcome and next steps: AB 306 passed out of the Housing and Community Development Committee and was referred to Appropriations. The author committed to continue meetings with stakeholders to consider amendments addressing concerns raised by environmental, labor and building‑standards groups.

Votes at a glance: The committee recorded a unanimous affirmative vote on the motion to pass the bill to Appropriations during the hearing (12 yes, 0 no, 0 abstain).