Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Building Codes topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Carmel council introduces ordinance to adopt 2025 California building codes; debate over WUI map follows
Summary
Council introduced an ordinance to adopt the 2025 California Building Standards (Title 24) with local amendments and discussed differences between the city's Wildland‑Urban Interface map and the state's fire‑severity mapping. Council asked the wildfire committee to review WUI boundaries and report back.
The Carmel‑by‑the‑Sea City Council introduced an ordinance on Jan. 13 to adopt the 2025 editions of the California Building Standards Code (Title 24) and related codes, a staff presentation said.
City staff explained the triennial cycle of updates to the California codes and highlighted significant changes that affect wildfire‑prone areas, including consolidation of the Wildland‑Urban Interface (WUI) code into Part 7 of Title 24 and new requirements for exterior wall assemblies on additions and alterations in WUI or high‑fire‑severity zones. Staff noted the changes are not retroactive to unaltered elements of existing homes but do apply to new additions or alterations.
Planner Jermell described specific WUI compliance options — including an example requiring one layer of 5/8‑inch Type X gypsum sheathing behind exterior cladding — and said the city’s updated WUI map and fire severity layers are available on the city GIS site. He urged homeowners to verify insurance implications of code changes.
Council members raised questions about how the city's purple‑shaded WUI map was established and observed that the state's red/orange/yellow hazard map no longer lines up with the city's earlier WUI boundaries in places such as Mission Trail Nature Preserve. Several council members said they want the wildfire committee to examine the technical basis for current local boundaries and recommend whether the city should amend its WUI mapping to better align with state definitions or rely on local knowledge for high‑risk areas.
After discussion, the council moved to waive further reading and introduced Ordinance 2026‑001 to adopt the 2025 building codes with local amendments; members voted to introduce the ordinance with the understanding that a second reading and any discussed amendments would return at a future meeting.
Staff said the proposed municipal amendments would be refined and that the city attorney would present updated ordinance language at second reading. The council also asked staff to include clearer documentation in the next packet explaining any edits to address identification and fire code cross‑references.
Next steps: staff will prepare the packet for the ordinance’s second reading with the noted clarifications; council asked the wildfire committee to study whether the city’s WUI boundaries should be changed and to return with recommended options.
