Modesto adopts 2025 California Fire Code with local adoptions for department access

The Modesto City Council voted unanimously Dec. 9 to repeal and replace chapter 1 of title 3 of the Modesto Municipal Code and adopt the 2025 California Fire Code (Title 24, Part 9). Deputy Fire Chief and Fire Marshal David Bickel presented the update, explaining that state adoption follows the International Code Council every three years and that jurisdictions may adopt local, more stringent provisions.

Bickel said the city is adopting several local provisions to improve fire department access — including adopting Appendix D where appropriate — and noted the city’s determinations are submitted to the California Building Commission after local adoption. ‘‘Local municipalities are allowed to make more stringent changes to the CFC,’’ he said, adding that municipalities may not make requirements less stringent than state code.

Council questions focused on which appendices and chapters receive local adoptions, including sprinkler and alarm provisions and fire department access dimensions. Bickel pointed to chapter 9 for sprinkler requirements and chapter 10 for egress, saying most adoptions were in the sprinkler and alarm space and that Appendix D was adopted to give greater detail on fire‑department access for gated communities and narrow lanes.

No substantive public testimony was offered for the item. A motion to approve final adoption passed on a unanimous roll call (7–0). The ordinance will be effective according to the city’s normal code adoption timetable.