Villa Park council adopts first reading of ordinance to adopt 2025 California Building Standards Code

The Villa Park City Council on Monday approved the first reading of Ordinance 2025‑639, a measure to adopt the 2025 California Building Standards Code locally, including updated administrative, building, residential, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, energy, fire and green building standards.

City staff told the council these are state‑issued standards that the city must codify to remain consistent with California requirements. "Effective January 1...the 2025 California Building Standards Code go into effect," staff said during the staff report, and recommended approval so local permitting aligns with current state rules.

Council members asked how the updated codes affect accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and time limits for plan review. Staff said some provisions will make certain requirements stricter — including fire code updates — and emphasized the 30‑day statutory review clock for ADU permits under state law (SB 9/SB 10 package references). "If those permits have expired...when they come back in, they have to restart the whole process again and live to these codes," staff said.

Council approved the first reading by a unanimous 5–0 vote. The ordinance will be codified 30 days after the first reading unless council takes other action.

Staff said contractors and developers were notified in advance and outreach has included signage at City Hall and communications with permit applicants to reduce surprises when the codes take effect.

Next steps: the ordinance will follow the local adoption timeline for codification; staff said they have trained building-inspection staff and will use external plan-check contractors to meet 30‑day review requirements where necessary.