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Board adopts Title 19 updates; agrees to revisit fire-retardant treated wood rules in January
Summary
The Board adopted the county's triennial update to Title 19 to align with the 2025 California Building Standards Code and added a local WUI prohibition on fire-retardant treated (FRT) wood for exteriors; staff agreed to return in January if the Board wants to reconsider FRT rules to avoid a permit issuance gap.
The Marin County Board of Supervisors voted to adopt amendments to Title 19 (the county building code) on Tuesday, bringing the county into alignment with the 2025 California Building Standards Code and adding local provisions for properties in designated Wildland Urban Interface and state fire hazard zones.
Sarah Jones, director of the Community Development Agency, told supervisors that state-level changes — including a new code for WUI — required the county to hold a public hearing on a second reading and adopt local amendments so building permits can be issued consistent with the state code effective Jan. 1, 2026. Jones' presentation said the county recommended adoption at the meeting to avoid months-long permit processing delays. The local amendment includes a prohibition on using fire-retardant-treated wood (FRTW) on exteriors in the WUI.
The public hearing drew two kinds of comment. Industry speakers representing treated-wood manufacturers and builders urged the board to delay the ban and adopt a narrower approach (staff documented that several industry representatives supported "Option 2," a compromise to revisit the ban). In contrast, community safety advocates and staff urged immediate adoption so the county can continue to issue permits that reflect state code changes. Ryan Pesa of the Western Wood Preservers Institute said the industry supports returning in January to reconsider the full scope of restrictions; others cautioned that the performance or environmental profiles of FRT products vary.
After public comment and board discussion about timing and the limited amount of new construction that would be affected in Marin, the board voted to adopt the proposed ordinance, with direction that staff can return as soon as feasible — possibly as early as January 20, 2026 — with recommendations on further local adjustments for noncombustible materials.
Supervisor comments noted the trade-off between aligning quickly with state requirements to avoid delays and taking time for additional public input on product-specific rules. The county noted that if the board sought to rewrite the ordinance now, the county would need to redo first-and-second readings and could not issue permits consistent with the state code during the review period.
The county's staff report and the adopted ordinance are included in the Board packet. The vote to adopt Title 19 passed by voice vote at the meeting.
