Staff Report
City Council
Item No. 4.A
Meeting Date: October 22, 2025
From: Andrew Firestine, Director of Community and Economic Development Michael A. Contreras, Fire Chief
Title: Adoption of the 2025 California Building Standards and Fire Codes RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommend City Council:
1. Adopt a finding of no possibility of significant effect pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines;
2. Introduce for first reading the attached ordinance to adopt the 2025 California Building Standards Code and certain specified appendices thereof, including local amendments, and repealing and replacing section 8.50.030(a) to require verification of a public sewer connection and making findings of local climatic, geological and topographical conditions, as required; and
3.Instruct staff to file the adopted resolution and ordinance with the California Building Standards Commission following the second reading of the ordinance, but at least 30 days before the effective date of the Codes.
BACKGROUND:
Every three years, the State of California updates and publishes the California Building Standards Code (BSC), Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations. The BSC provides uniform minimum standards for construction, fire safety, and building design throughout the State.
Under California Health and Safety Code §§17958, 17958.5, and 17958.7, local jurisdictions such as Cathedral City are required to adopt the most recent edition of the BSC. These statutes also authorize cities to enact amendments that are more restrictive than State provisions when supported by findings that such modifications are reasonably necessary due to local climatic, geological, or topographic conditions. Additionally, on June 30, 2025, the Governor signed into law Assembly Bill (AB) 130, which implements a freeze on certain state and local building code updates that apply to residential units for nearly six years, subject to limited exceptions, commencing October 1, 2025.
Exceptions include, among others:
Changes or modifications that are substantially equivalent to changes or modifications that were previously filed by the governing body of the city or county and were in effect as of September 30, 2025; and
Changes or modifications relating to home hardening.
For Cathedral City, the adoption of a local ordinance is critical to ensure that the City’s unique conditions are adequately addressed. Cathedral City is located within the Coachella Valley, an area characterized by extreme summer heat, high wind events, seismic activity associated with nearby fault zones, and seasonal flooding potential from surrounding debris fans. These factors create heightened risks for structures and occupants not fully addressed by the statewide minimum standards.
The proposed local amendments outlined in this report and detailed in the attached ordinance include provisions carried forward from the 2022 code adoption cycle and conform to the specific authorizations granted under California Health and Safety Code §17958.7 as is more particularly detailed in Exhibit B of the attached ordinance.
The proposed ordinance ensures Cathedral City remains in compliance with State law by adopting the most recent edition of the BSC within the required 180-day period. More importantly, it allows the city to adopt local amendments, as recommended by the building official and fire marshal, to strengthen construction and fire safety requirements. These amendments are necessary to safeguard the public health, safety, and welfare of Cathedral City residents given the City’s unique environmental hazards.
DISCUSSION:
The Codes:
The BSC is a compilation of three types of building standards from three different origins:
1.Building standards that have been adopted by state agencies without change from building standards contained in national model codes;
2.Building standards that have been adopted and adapted from the national model code standards to meet California conditions; and
3.Building standards, authorized by the California legislature, that constitute extensive additions not covered by the model codes that have been adopted to address specific California concerns.
Purpose of the Ordinance:
The purpose of the proposed ordinance is to ensure the City’s adoption of the California Building Standards Code (BSC), with amendments tailored to the City’s unique climatic, geological, and topographic conditions. Under California Health and Safety Code §§17958, 17958.5, and 17958.7, local jurisdictions are authorized to adopt building standards that are more restrictive than those contained in the BSC, provided that findings are made which demonstrate the necessity of such modifications based on local conditions.
1. This ordinance makes the requisite findings that the City’s specific environmental and safety conditions—such as extreme climate, wildfire risk, seismic activity, and flooding hazards—require more stringent building and fire safety standards to adequately protect the public health, safety, and welfare. Adoption of these amendments ensures construction within the city meets not only statewide minimum standards but also local needs for resilience and hazard mitigation
2. Accordingly, the ordinance formally adopts the amendments proposed by the City’s building official and fire marshal, thereby establishing enforceable building and fire code provisions consistent with both State law and the City’s duty to safeguard its residents.
Significant Changes
The 2025 California Building Standards Codes (Building, Residential, and Fire Codes) have undergone significant updates. To ensure alignment with Cathedral City’s needs, an adopting ordinance has been prepared with local amendments, many of which are existing requirements that were adopted through the adoption of prior code cycles that need to be adopted again as part of the adoption of the 2025 California Building Standards Codes.
These amendments are intended to preserve public health and safety, streamline enforcement, and address unique local conditions. The following summarizes the primary local amendments included:
Building Code
oExisting - Clarifies requirements for permit issuance. oUpdated - Establishes standards for site security and cleanliness during construction.
oExisting - Addresses requirements for new and existing buildings. Residential Code
oExisting - Requires air conditioning in all dwelling units. oExisting - Establishes roof material requirements suitable for local climate conditions.
oUpdated – Sets permit requirements for walls exceeding a specified height. Fire Code
oAdopts the 2025 California Fire Code as published.
Existing local amendments remain in place and are updated with the following new amendment
Increases fire apparatus turning radius standards.
Findings
In order to adopt the proposed additions and amendments that provide more stringent life safety and fire protection system requirements, the City Council must make findings supporting that the additions and amendments are necessary due to local climatic, topographic or geological conditions.
1. Cathedral City has an arid desert climate with roughly three inches of annual rainfall.
Temperatures exceed 100°F for about four months each year, with daily highs near 110°F in July and August and surface temperatures often exceeding 160°F. Hot, dry winds are common for much of the year. These conditions increase fire risk by drying and preheating combustible materials and promoting spontaneous combustion, which can accelerate fire spread and intensify fires. To reduce these risks, the city requires on-site fire protection systems, mandates clay or concrete roofing tiles for their superior fire resistance compared to other materials permitted under the BSC, and prohibits aluminum or copper-coated aluminum wiring smaller than 10-gauge, as such wiring is prone to failure under desert conditions, potentially causing fires, electrical shocks, or other hazards.
2. Cathedral City is near several active fault zones, including the San Andreas, Garnet Hill, San Jacinto, East Mojave Shear, and Pinto Mountain faults, which pose a risk of moderate to large earthquakes. Severe seismic events could disrupt communications, damage gas mains, create electrical hazards, and strain the Fire Department.
Installing on-site fire protection systems, including automatic sprinklers and the other proposed measures, can help reduce the demand for emergency services and enhance fire safety for building occupants and the community.
3. Traffic congestion in commercial areas can slow fire department response times.
Requiring on-site fire protection systems and other proposed measures in new developments will supplement emergency response, enhancing fire and life safety protection for building occupants and the broader community.
4. The City’s climate, geology, and topography create heightened fire risks, necessitating stringent fire protection measures. Without amendments, the California Building and Fire Codes would allow new and improved buildings to be constructed without on-site fire protection systems, with non-fire-resistant roofing, and with aluminum or copper-coated wiring inadequate to service its residents.
5. The City Council therefore finds that the additions and amendments to the 2025 California Building and Fire Codes set forth herein, in addition to those previously adopted (effective January 1, 2023) afford more stringent requirements for fire protection than required by the State and that such additions and amendments are necessary for the protection of the public's health, welfare and safety.
Environmental Review
The updates to the Building Code are exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) (Common Sense Exemption) of the CEQA Guidelines, which states that CEQA does not apply “where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment.” The updates to the Building Code help maintain general public safety and welfare of the community. Therefore, it can be seen with certainty that the building code updates would not result in a significant effect on the environment, and therefore, are exempt from CEQA.
FISCAL IMPACT:
No fiscal impact is anticipated on the City.
FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN:
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Ordinance with Exhibit A
2. Exhibit B