Santa Rosa staff to propose energy‑code approach after court ruling halts all‑electric reach code
Summary
City planners briefed the Climate Action Subcommittee on a proposed workaround to meet greenhouse‑gas goals after a court ruling preempted local limits on gas appliances; staff would raise energy‑efficiency thresholds under the energy code so mixed‑fuel buildings must offset higher emissions, with the reach‑code approach expected at council in December.
Staff presented a proposed path to retain most greenhouse‑gas reductions from the city’s prior all‑electric reach code after courts preempted limits on gas appliance use.
"We were instructed to cease enforcement on that," said Jimmy Bliss, the city’s chief building official, describing the 2019 all‑electric reach code that was suspended after a 2024 court ruling involving the California Restaurant Association and the City of Berkeley. Bliss said staff are proposing to use the state energy code as a compliance framework so that mixed‑fuel buildings must meet higher energy‑efficiency thresholds and, where necessary, add on‑site generation (solar and battery) to offset fossil‑fuel use.
Bliss said regional cost‑effectiveness analyses — prepared by a coalition that included local jurisdictions and utilities — show the energy‑code approach can deliver about 95% of the greenhouse‑gas reductions the previous all‑electric requirement achieved, while remaining legally defensible and cost‑effective. The approach would apply primarily to new construction across building types; staff said retrofit options for existing housing are more limited because of legal constraints on the scope of required work during alterations.
Council members asked who would bear added costs and whether the building industry had been consulted. Bliss said the original 2019 engagement included builders; staff plan additional outreach with the North Coast Builders Exchange and the local development community as the draft moves toward a December council item (December 18 was mentioned). Staff also stressed the need for ongoing monitoring: the city conducts regular GHG inventories and can amend the GHG reduction strategy through general plan actions if state policy or incentives change.
Amy Nicholson, supervising planner, said transportation remains the single largest source of the city’s emissions (about 60%), with residential and nonresidential energy accounting for roughly 27–28%; staff reiterated that reach codes are only one tool among many in the city’s broader GHG reduction strategy.
No formal action was taken; staff indicated they will return to the council with a proposed code amendment as part of the triannual code adoption process and continue stakeholder outreach before final consideration.
