Camarillo City Council
AGENDA REPORT
Date: November 12, 2025
To: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
From: Greg Ramirez, City Manager
Submitted by: Philip Lanzafame, Interim Director of Community Development Subject: Adoption of the 2025 Revised Building Codes by Reference (Gov.
Code § 50022.3)
BACKGROUND
The Health and Safety Code requires jurisdictions to enforce the most recent editions of the various building standards. The proposed ordinance will adopt by reference:
(1) California Building Code, Vols. 1 and 2, 2025 Edition with Appendices C, I, and J (2) California Electrical Code, 2025 Edition;
(3) California Plumbing Code, 2025 Edition, with Appendix H; (4) California Mechanical Code, 2025 Edition;
(5) International Property Maintenance Code, 2024 Edition; (6) California Administrative Code, 2025 Edition;
(7) California Energy Code, 2025 Edition;
(8) California Reference Standards, 2025 Edition;
(9) California Existing Building Code, 2025 Edition;
(10)California Residential Code, 2025 Edition with Appendix BF; (11)California Green Building Standards Code, 2025 Edition; and (12)California Wildland-Urban Interface Code, 2025 Edition.
The proposed ordinance will also include local amendments to these codes that reflect local climatic, geological, and topographical conditions and other administrative amendments.
On October 22, 2025, the City Council conducted a public hearing and introduced an ordinance adopting the 2025 Revised Building Codes by reference and set a second public hearing for the adoption of such ordinance for November 12, 2025. For the adoption of building codes by reference, California law requires that the second reading of the ordinance be noticed as a public hearing.
2025 Revised Building Codes
November 12, 2025
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DISCUSSION
The California Building Standards Commission (CBSC) is the regulatory body that is responsible for the review and adoption of building standards to be used throughout the State of California. These regulations are the minimum standards used in order to preserve life, safety, and welfare in the construction, alteration, and repair of the built environment.
The CBSC updates these codes every three years. Health & Safety Code Sections 17922 and 17958 mandate that cities adopt an ordinance adopting by reference the updated building standards. However, cities are allowed to make amendments due to the existence of unique regional and/or local climatic, topographical or geographical conditions. Findings must be made supporting the amendments and submitted to the State Department of Housing and Community Development for confirmation.
The State-mandated standards must be adopted by January 1, 2025. If the City fails to adopt the following State-mandated standards, they will then go into effect by State mandate, without any local amendments.
The building standards, which are required to be adopted at this time, are contained in:
California Building Code, 2025 Edition
California Residential Code, 2025 Edition
California Plumbing Code, 2025 Edition
California Mechanical Code, 2025 Edition
California Electrical Code, 2025 Edition
California Administrative Code, 2025 Edition
California Energy Code, 2025 Edition
California Reference Standards Code, 2025 Edition
California Green Building Standards Code, 2025 Edition California Existing Building Code, 2025 Edition
California Wildland-Urban Interface Code, 2025 Edition International Property Maintenance Code, 2024 Edition
A significant change to the California Residential Code is the requirement to install electric ready infrastructure in new dwellings. This will include installing an electrical feed from the electrical panel to the appliance (water heater, furnaces cooktops and dryers), providing breaker space in the panel and labeling the panel.
Proposed Ordinance
The proposed ordinance adopts the updated building standards and administrative amendments. It also incorporates the existing local amendments contained in previous versions of Chapter 16.04 (such as those involving structural seismic upgrades, foundation requirements for expansive soil, specific grading geologic, and foundation 2025 Revised Building Codes
November 12, 2025
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requirements, Fire Hazard Zone Requirements, Pool Design Requirements, and certain hazardous conditions that reflect local climatic, geological, and topographical conditions).
Assembly Bill 130 (2025) largely prohibits the City from considering, approving, or adopting any new proposed building standards affecting residential units, unless certain conditions exist. Therefore, there are no new changes from the last code adoption that are being proposed.
With respect to pool fencing requirements, the International Code Council removed all pool fencing requirements out of the International Building Code and placed them into the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code. The State of California added the Health and Safety Code language as a reference. The Health and Safety Code only addresses the “enclosure” which protects residents of the property from the pool, but does not address the “barrier” which protects others from gaining access to the property and the pool. The amendment adds the original 2016 CBC language back into the 2025 California Building Code. This is consistent with the code amendments adopted previously and is being carried forward.
In addition, amendments have been made to the administrative provisions of the codes, and Chapter 1, Division II, of the California Building Code has been adopted to ensure a consistent set of administrative provisions across all building codes. For example, certain sections have been amended to address the expiration dates of permits and certain references to Appendix J. Amendments have also been made to incorporate the City’s existing water conservation regulations. This is consistent with the code amendments adopted previously and is being carried forward.
There is also an amendment to establish a procedure for posting placards after a disaster.
This amendment allows the local jurisdictions to perform safety assessments of structures and post a placard stating the result of the safety assessment. This is a recommendation by the California Building Officials and California Office of Emergency Services, who have encouraged all jurisdictions to adopt a placard regulation in order to have a uniform placard system in place throughout the state. This is consistent with the code amendments adopted previously and is being carried forward.
Once the building standards are adopted, there remains a need to adopt regulations that will ensure that housing and other buildings are maintained in a safe manner. Accordingly, an amendment to the International Property Maintenance Code is also recommended at this time and has been incorporated into the proposed ordinance. The list of conditions, which constitute hazardous conditions, is changed to read like a similar list in the California Health and Safety Code. This is consistent with the code amendments adopted previously and is being carried forward.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no budget impact as a result of this action.
2025 Revised Building Codes
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CITY COUNCIL STRATEGIC PLAN FY 2025/26
This item supports the City Council’s Strategic Plan Goal 2 – Community Enrichment: It is the goal of the City Council to provide a safe and enriched environment where people can live, work and play and Goal 3 – Public Safety and Emergency Resilience: It is the goal of the City Council to strengthen public safety, emergency preparedness, and disaster resilience to protect residents, businesses, and City infrastructure.
CEQA DETERMINATIONS
City staff has determined, in accordance with Section 15061(b)(3) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, that the proposed ordinance is not subject to CEQA review because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the subject regulations may have a significant effect on the environment, either directly or indirectly and this activity is exempt from further review.
RECOMMENDATION
1. Find that the proposed ordinance is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3); and
2. Approve an ordinance adopting the 2025 Revised Building Codes by reference.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Proposed Ordinance
2. Public Hearing Notice
REFERENCE MATERIALS – AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW AT CITY HALL Copies of the primary codes proposed for adoption by reference are available for public inspection in the office of the City Clerk upon request.