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Building Inspection Commission backs city referral to adopt parts of 2022 Existing Building Code
Summary
On Jan. 15 the Building Inspection Commission voted unanimously to forward an ordinance (file 241005) to the Board of Supervisors that would incorporate chapters 6–11 of the 2022 California Existing Building Code into San Francisco’s existing building code, adding the work-area compliance method and several local amendments.
The San Francisco Building Inspection Commission on Jan. 15 voted unanimously to recommend that the Board of Supervisors adopt ordinance file 241005, which would add chapters 6 through 11 of the 2022 California Existing Building Code to the San Francisco Existing Building Code.
The ordinance would bring the state’s new work-area compliance method — which allows proportionate compliance based on the area and intensity of work — into the city code in addition to the prescriptive compliance method the city has used. Tate Hanna, legislative affairs manager for the Department of Building Inspection, told the commission the change aligns local practice with the California code and the International Code Council model that underlies it.
“The work area method requires proportionate methods of compliance, requiring standards to be met based on the intensity and area of work,” Hanna said. He told commissioners staff recommended moving several existing San Francisco code provisions from chapter 5 into chapter 3 so those requirements apply regardless of the compliance method used, and proposed three substantive local amendments to align city trigger points with the new chapters.
Hanna said the Code Advisory Committee and its subcommittees reviewed the ordinance over several months and provided unanimous support for the department’s recommended changes. President Alexander Tuke moved to forward the ordinance to the Board of Supervisors with the department’s recommended amendments; Commissioner Chavez seconded the motion. A roll-call vote recorded unanimous support from the commission.
If the Board of Supervisors adopts the ordinance, the change will alter how some existing-building projects are reviewed and may change when certain upgrades are required during repair or alteration work. The department staff said the amendment language is intended to ensure the city’s existing special standards remain effective under either compliance approach.
The commission’s action was procedural: the body recommended adoption and forwarded file 241005 to the Board of Supervisors for final action. The Board will consider the ordinance in its legislative process.
