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Emeryville adopts 2025 building and fire codes by reference, retains local amendments
Summary
The City Council adopted updated California building and fire codes by reference, carrying forward preexisting local amendments on gas shutoff valves, construction-site fire safety and sprinkler thresholds. The council waived first reading and adopted the ordinances after a presentation by Community Development Director Chad Smalley and no public,
The Emeryville City Council adopted ordinances repealing and replacing chapters of the Emeryville Municipal Code to adopt the 2025 California building and fire codes by reference, including previously established local amendments.
Community Development Director Chad Smalley told the council, "we're here tonight to discuss adoption of the 20 25 building and fire codes." He said the city must adopt the statewide building standards and noted the city retained several local amendments that predated a short statutory window for new amendments. The principal local provisions to be carried forward include a construction-site fire-safety program, a requirement for automatic gas shutoff valves after seismic events, and a local sprinklers threshold applying sprinklers to buildings at or above 3,000 square feet.
Smaller administrative and fee-related amendments were also included to make city procedures clear. Smalley explained that Assembly Bill 130 narrowed the window for adopting new local substantive amendments; as a result the city is limited to carrying forward amendments that existed prior to the statutory cutoff. He said the recommended ordinances adopt the model codes by reference while preserving those preexisting local rules.
The council opened a public hearing; no members of the public spoke on the item. After discussion and questions from council members about the relationship between state procedural changes and the local code, council members voted to waive first reading and then to adopt the ordinances. The recorded roll-call vote was unanimous.
The ordinances include CEQA exemptions the staff identified and will be published with the municipal code updates. Chad Smalley and Diane, the interim chief building official, were available to answer council questions during the presentation.
