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Escondido adopts county battery‑storage safety guidelines, adds C‑10 contractor requirement
Summary
The City Council voted 5–0 to adopt San Diego County battery energy storage system (BES) guidelines as a local amendment to the California Fire Code while adding a requirement that electrical work be performed by C‑10 licensed contractors; broader workforce percentage rules were deferred for later staff review.
The Escondido City Council voted unanimously to adopt San Diego County battery energy storage system (BES) guidelines as a local amendment to the California Fire Code, and added a council amendment requiring that electrical work on covered projects be performed by C‑10 licensed contractors.
Fire Marshal Lavonna Korecki told the council the county guidelines include plume modeling, hazard mitigation analysis (HMA), submittal and testing requirements, and setbacks intended to limit risks to nearby homes and schools. “They provide a complete framework for evaluating and regulating BES installations,” Korecki said. Staff also noted the city’s temporary moratorium on BES installations will expire in October, and recommended adopting the guidelines to provide regulatory clarity while the county continues work on separate workforce standards.
Public commenters and labor representatives broadly supported adopting the safety guidelines but pressed for workforce standards to be adopted immediately. “When you have the right skilled and trained workforce on these projects, they stay safe,” said Corey Schumacher, policy director for IBEW Local 569, citing an Escondido incident that occurred during maintenance. Council members discussed San Marcos’ approach of combining the county guidelines with a local requirement for C‑10 contractors; Deputy Mayor Martinez offered a friendly amendment to mirror that requirement, which the council accepted.
Council members asked staff about interactions with the California Energy Commission and emergency response planning. The Fire Department explained that lithium‑ion battery fires are treated as hazardous‑materials incidents and that the city coordinates with county hazmat teams during large events. After debate, the council approved ordinance 2026‑09 (adopting the county BES guidelines) with the added C‑10 contractor requirement; the vote was recorded 5–0.
Next steps: staff will return with implementation details and a workforce‑standards update within six months as promised during the presentation, and council directed continued coordination with San Diego County on the broader workforce standards effort.
