REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Public Hearing and Introduction of Ordinance: 1) Amending Various Sections of Title 16 (Buildings and Construction) of the Sunnyvale Municipal Code to Adopt by Reference the 2025 California Building, Residential, Mechanical, Plumbing, Electrical, Building Standards Administrative, Energy, Historical Building, Existing Building, Wildland-Urban Interface, and Green Building Standards Codes, and the International Property Maintenance Code, with Local Amendments and Related Findings; 2) Finding the Action is Exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act
Report
BACKGROUND
The California Building Standards Commission (CBSC) is responsible for administering the implementation of the California building codes, which include the proposal, review, and adoption processes. The building codes are contained in the California Code of Regulations, Title 24. Since 1989, the CBSC has published triennial editions of these codes.
In January 2025, the State of California adopted the 2025 California Building Codes (known as the California Building Standards Code) and published the documents on July 1, 2025. All local jurisdictions are required to hold public hearings and adopt these codes with any local amendments by January 1, 2026, or be mandated to accept by default the version adopted by the State. Local amendments to the model State codes must be supported with findings that are based on unique local climatic, geologic, and topographic conditions.
As noted in the Discussion section below, staff has been working with other Bay Area jurisdictions to coordinate and limit local amendments to the building codes. The jurisdictions are part of the California Building Officials (CALBO) East Bay and Peninsula chapters that include the majority of cities/towns and counties in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties. As part of these efforts, the recommended amendments will be implemented throughout local jurisdictions in the Ba...
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