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La Verne adopts urgency ordinance to align city building codes with county and state standards
Summary
The La Verne City Council on Dec. 15 adopted an urgency ordinance to incorporate Los Angeles County amendments and the 2025 California building standards by reference so the city meets the Jan. 1, 2026 compliance deadline; the vote was 5-0.
La Verne’s City Council voted unanimously Dec. 15 to adopt an urgency ordinance that brings the city into compliance with recently updated Los Angeles County amendments and the 2025 California building standards ahead of a Jan. 1, 2026 deadline.
Cody Howling, the city’s engineer, told the council the updates are part of a regular three‑year cycle. “Every three years, we’re required to update the building codes,” he said, noting that the county adopted its amendments on Nov. 25, which reduced the time available for local notice and required the urgency action.
The ordinance adopts multiple code titles by reference, including Los Angeles County titles for building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical codes; the 2025 California fire code (Title 24, Part 9) with appendices; the wildland‑urban interface provisions (Title 24, Part 7); and the California green building code (Title 24, Part 11), along with the city’s local amendments.
Mayor Hepburn highlighted changes in the fire code that he said have practical consequences for La Verne’s high‑fire zones, including sprinkler requirements for some homes, ADU provisions and tighter limits on roof materials. “It pretty much outlawed most almost all roofs except for the fire‑rated roofs,” he said, framing the changes as important for resident safety in areas with elevated fire risk.
Council members discussed the two‑track approach staff proposed: adopt the urgency ordinance now to meet the state deadline, and pursue a conventional ordinance on the normal two‑reading track to allow longer review. City staff indicated portions of the green building code were scaled back where they proved unduly burdensome for local implementation.
The council approved the motion to adopt the urgency ordinance and introduce the companion conventional ordinance in one motion; the clerk recorded the vote as 5–0. Staff said the urgency ordinance will place the city in compliance by Jan. 1, 2026 and the conventional ordinance will follow the standard second‑reading timeline.
The council did not specify an ordinance number in the meeting record; staff said county and state documents and the city’s redline of local amendments are available for public review.
