Mill Valley moves to safeguard local reach-code authority as AB 306 tightens state deadlines

City staff warned the Mill Valley City Council July 21 that Assembly Bill 306 effectively narrows the window for local reach-code amendments and could limit many local modifications from Oct. 1, 2025 through 2031 unless jurisdictions qualify for specified exemptions. Staff asked the council to confirm reach-code adoption as a priority and to direct an ordinance process so the city can file adopted ordinances with the California Energy Commission (CEC) and the California Building Standards Commission before the October 1 deadline.

What staff said: Staff framed the choice as time-sensitive and recommended pursuing exemptions C1 and C5 to preserve local flexibility. They proposed a two-meeting ordinance schedule: a special meeting on Aug. 11 for a first reading and an August 18 regular meeting for second reading or ratification, plus the recommendation to cancel the Aug. 4 meeting to accommodate the schedule.

Context: The staff presentation noted that Mill Valley already uses CalGreen Tier 1 (a local reach-code for new construction) and that the main policy gap is often in renovations and additions, where a flex-path reach code or EV-readiness rules would apply. Staff emphasized coordination with county efforts and legal review, saying the new state law is untested in court and that staff is seeking to be conservative by pursuing an ordinance and formal exemptions even though they believe the city may already qualify under some clauses.

Next steps: Council gave staff direction to proceed and authorized scheduling the special meeting and subsequent council meeting. Staff will continue to evaluate exemption applicability with legal counsel, the planning team and council liaisons.