Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Building Codes topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council adopts urgency ordinance to update building codes ahead of Jan. 1 effective date
Summary
To avoid an enforcement gap, the council adopted an urgency ordinance (Ordinance No. 389-U) to update the city's building, plumbing and related codes to the state/county 2026 versions and will return in January with the regular ordinance and a summary of local amendments.
The council acted to keep city regulations aligned with county and state building code updates. City legal staff explained that the state updates codes every three years and the county adopted the latest codes late in the year; to avoid a gap in enforceable standards effective Jan. 1, staff proposed an urgency ordinance.
Council introduced the first reading of Ordinance No. 389 (building and construction code amendments) and adopted the urgency ordinance (389‑U) in a single motion. The urgency ordinance requires a four-fifths vote; with four councilmembers present the ordinance passed unanimously. Staff agreed to return in January with the regular (non-urgency) ordinance and a concise summary showing where the city’s amendments differ from the county’s code.
The council found the ordinance exempt from CEQA and approved the emergency adoption to ensure continuity of enforcement of updated building, plumbing and electrical codes as of Jan. 1.
