Lake County supervisors advance ordinance to adopt 2025 California building standards; ask counsel to clarify fireworks rules

The Lake County Board of Supervisors on a unanimous 5–0 vote approved the first reading of an ordinance to adopt the 2025 California Building Standards Code (Title 24) and voted to advance the draft to a future meeting for possible final adoption.

Community Development Director Ray Turner introduced the ordinance, which incorporates the 2025 editions of multiple Title 24 parts — including the Building Code, Residential Code, Electrical, Mechanical, Plumbing, Fire, Existing Building, Green Building and the Wildland-Urban Interface provisions — and the 2024 International Property Maintenance Code. Chief Building Official Jack Smalley offered to answer questions from the board.

Why it matters: the statewide code update happens every three years and, as an unidentified board member noted during the hearing, the new codes are scheduled to take effect January 1; the county must enforce state law once it is effective. The ordinance would align Lake County’s local code with those state standards.

Board members pressed staff on how a new Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) section might affect homeowners. An unidentified speaker summarized the point: “These codes are set to go into effect January 1,” and board discussion noted that stricter WUI requirements could change how properties must be built or retrofitted and may influence fire-insurance assessments.

Supervisors also raised a separate but related concern about fireworks and conflicting definitions. Supervisor Spatie said the draft ordinance’s fireworks prohibition language appears to reference the county’s municipal-code definitions in section 5.3 and could conflict with the county’s existing treatment of “safe and sane” fireworks. “I don’t want to approve something where we’re saying it’s illegal to possess something that is legal for you to possess,” Spatie said, urging the board to consider referencing the California Fire Code’s definitions (such as 1.4(g)) instead.

Board members and public commenters referenced Lakeport’s practice of selling “safe and sane” fireworks beginning July 1 and discussed whether possession is prohibited countywide outside a narrow July window. Mr. Lloyd advised that staff and county counsel would follow up: changing the ordinance language to cite the California Fire Code could make the rule consistent, but the board asked for confirmation of the current county law before making a change.

The board took two formal actions. After Mr. Lloyd outlined the steps, members voted to approve the first reading of the ordinance (to be read in title only) by voice vote; the motion carried 5–0. The board then voted 5–0 to advance the draft ordinance to the next Board of Supervisors meeting for consideration and possible adoption.

Next steps: county staff and county counsel will confirm how the county code and the proposed ordinance treat fireworks and whether an amendment to reference the California Fire Code is appropriate; the ordinance draft will be placed on a subsequent agenda for final consideration.