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Council adopts 2025 California Fire Code and new Wildland‑Urban Interface code with local amendments
Summary
After a staff presentation on local amendments to align Richmond with countywide standards, the council unanimously approved an ordinance adopting the 2025 California Fire Code and the 2025 Wildland‑Urban Interface Code with local amendments, including updated permit, access, sprinkler and Knox box provisions.
The Richmond City Council voted unanimously to adopt the 2025 California Fire Code and the 2025 California Wildland‑Urban Interface (WUI) Code with local amendments.
Fire Chief Aron Osorio and Fire Marshal Dante Wy presented the item as the first reading and explained the purpose of the statewide updates (effective Jan. 1, 2026) and Richmond’s proposed local amendments. Staff highlighted changes clarifying permit requirements, redefining fire hazard and WUI zones, lowering the threshold for "substantial addition" from 5,000 to 3,600 square feet in certain County jurisdictions, tightening automatic sprinkler and floor control valve requirements for some occupancies, and upgrading Knox key box standards (with a targeted swap to the new E‑Key system by Dec. 31, 2028).
Council members asked for examples and enforcement details; staff explained that adoption enables local enforcement of the state codes and authorizes certain city‑level amendments to address local topography and access issues. The ordinance will be filed with the State and take effect roughly 30 days after passage, allowing staff to proceed with local compliance steps and any grant applications to support Knox‑box upgrades.
The motion to pass the item was seconded and the vote recorded as unanimous among present members (Mayor Martinez, Vice Mayor Robinson, Council members Bana, Jimenez, Wilson and Zepeda); Council Member Brown was absent.
