Fire Commission approves 2025 fire code changes, extends first sprinkler compliance steps
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Summary
The commission approved three changes to the 2025 fire code, lowering a food-vendor fee, removing some solar clearance provisions after stakeholder feedback and extending the early sprinkler-permit and water-supply deadlines while keeping the final completion date of Jan. 1, 2035.
The San Francisco Fire Commission voted 3–2 on Jan. 14 to approve amendments to the city's proposed 2025 fire code that change fee and technical sections and extend the early compliance steps for a new sprinkler retrofit timeline.
Fire Marshal Chad Law told the commission the draft now reduces the compact mobile food vendor permit fee from the previously proposed amount to $95, removes certain blanket skylight-clearance requirements for solar installations after industry feedback, and extends the first two compliance steps in the sprinkler ordinance. Law said the first step (permit application deadlines) was "extended to 01/01/2030," and that the water-supply (riser/floor-control) deadline was lengthened (the revised water-supply connection now must be in place no later than 2034), while the final completion date for full sprinkler installation remains Jan. 1, 2035.
In response to concerns that 'undue hardship' claims could be inconsistently applied, the commission discussed a proposed technical advisory committee. City attorneys and staff said the committee (still in development) would produce guidelines and recommendations about how to define undue hardship—financial hardship or displacement of residents—while preserving the fire marshal's authority to make final determinations.
Caller Eric Schoonberg, representing a local solar contractor, thanked staff for removing provisions that stakeholders said could limit solar configurations and said his company looks forward to ongoing collaboration.
Votes at a glance: - Approval of 2025 fire code amendments (including fee change, solar clearance edits, and extended early sprinkler steps): passed 3–2 (President Marcy Frazier, Vice President Paula Collins and Commissioner Acasio voted yes; Commissioner Armee Morgan and Commissioner Alan Lowe voted no). The final completion date (Jan. 1, 2035) remains unchanged.
The commission also retained Administrative Bulletin 2.08 as historical reference (see separate entry). The code advances next to the Board of Supervisors' Land Use Committee and, if adopted, must be approved by the California Building Standards Commission before becoming effective.
