Carlsbad City Council on Tuesday voted to introduce an ordinance to adopt the 2025 edition of the California Building Standards Code, with local amendments, and set a public hearing for Dec. 2, 2025.

Mike Strong, assistant director of community development, told the council that the state publishes an updated set of model codes every three years, codified in title 24 of the California Code of Regulations, and that Carlsbad’s ordinance would align local code references with the 2025 state edition. Strong said the ordinance would take effect Jan. 1, 2026, the same effective date as the state code. "There are some local amendments that are being carried forward," Strong said, adding that the proposal is intended to maintain consistency with state model codes rather than change current city policy.

Strong outlined several substantial changes in the state model codes that will affect new construction: requirements encouraging high-efficiency electric heat pumps for space and water heating; commercial kitchens to be electric-ready; expanded mandates for rooftop solar and on-site batteries for certain residential and nonresidential projects; new clarifications to Americans with Disabilities Act-related clearances at dining surfaces; higher seismic design forces tied to updated ground motion values; increased bicycle-parking requirements for new residential and nonresidential projects; and a rise in required electric-vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure for office and retail developments.

Staff noted state legislation — Assembly Bill 130 and Senate Bill 131 — that limits certain local modifications to the state codes through mid-2031 and that readopting substantially similar local amendments adopted in the prior cycle is one of the permitted exceptions. Strong said the city is urging applicants to submit building permit applications before Jan. 1, 2026, so projects can be reviewed under the 2022 code edition rather than the 2025 edition.

Patricia Langan, representing the Buena Vista Audubon Society, urged the council to include voluntary bird-friendly building-design measures (A5.107) from the California Green Building Standards Code, citing research on bird collisions with glass and San Diego County’s role on the Pacific Flyway. "Building collision is a major cause of bird mortality," Langan said, and she asked the council to add the amendment or evaluate it further. Strong responded that the voluntary measure had not been analyzed as part of the staff report and that consideration of adding it would likely require a separate agenda item and evaluation for eligibility under AB 130.

Councilmember Teresa Acosta asked whether staff had researched the bird-friendly measure; Strong said staff had not included that evaluation in this packet and would return with analysis if the council requested it.

Motion to introduce the ordinance and set the Dec. 2 public hearing carried unanimously.