CITY OF FAIRFIELD
RESOLUTION NO. 2025-210
REPEALING AND REPLACING CHAPTER 8 (FIRE PREVENTION CODE) OF THE FAIRFIELD CITY CODE, ADOPTING BY REFERENCE CALIFORNIA CODE OF REGULATIONS, TITLE 24, PART 7, PART 9, KNOWN AS THE 2025 CALIFORNIA FIRE CODE, WITH AMENDMENTS TO REFLECT LOCAL CONDITIONS, AND ADOPTING BY REFERENCE CERTAIN PORTIONS OF THE 2024
INTERNATIONAL FIRE CODE
WHEREAS, California Health and Safety Code Sections 17958, 17958.5, 17958. 7 and 18941. 5 allow the City, by ordinance, to make modifica tions or changes to the California Building Standards Code in Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations and other regulations adopted pursuant to Health and Safety Code Section 17922; and
WHEREAS, the Health and Safety Code requires such changes to be determined to be reasonably necessary because of local climate, geographical, or topographical conditions; and
WHEREAS, the Health and Safety Code requires that the City, before making any modifications or changes, makes an express finding that each such modification or change is needed; and
WHEREAS, the Health and Safety Code requires such findings to be made available as a public record and a copy of such findings to be filed with the California Building Standards Commission; and
WHEREAS, the City C ouncil determines that the proposed Ordinance establishes requirements greater and more restrictive than those set forth in the 2025 edition of the California Building Standards Code, Title 24, Parts 9, of the California Code of Regulations, and which are reasonably necessary due to the unique local climate, geographical, or topographical conditions in the City of Fairfield; and
WHEREAS, California Government Code Section 50022. 3 requires the legislative body to schedule a public hearing "[a]fter the first reading of the title of the adopting ordinance and of the title of the code to be adopted thereby, and of the title of the secondary codes therein adopted by reference;" and
WHEREAS, notice of the public hearing must be published pursuant to California Government Code Section 6006; and
WHEREAS, the City Council determines that proposed Ordinance No. 2025 -11 establishes requirements greater and more restrictive than those set forth in the 2025 California Fire Code, contained in Title 24, Part 7, Part 9, of the California Code of Regulations, and which are reasonably necessary due to the unique local climate, geographical, or topographical conditions in the City of Fairfield; and
RES. NO. 2025-210
WHEREAS, California Government Code Section 6006 requires two publications providing notice of the public hearing, with the "period of notice commenc[ing] upon the first day of publication and terminat[ing] at the end of the fourteenth day, including therein the first day."
NOW, THEREFORE, THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FAIRFIELD HEREBY RESOLVES:
SECTION 1. Pursuant to Health and Safety Code Sections 17958.7 and 18941.5(b), the Fairfield City Council hereby expressly finds that the local amendments to California Building Standards Code, Title 24, Part 7, Part 9 of the California C ode of Regulations, contained in proposed Ordinance are necessary, due to the following local climatic, geologic, or topographical conditions:
1. Wind is a persistent climatic feature in Fairfield, with prevailing winds from the west or southwest. The average daytime wind speed in the summer is 15 to 20 miles per hour (mph) and 25 to 35 mph wind speeds are common. Storm winds often reach speeds of 40 to 50 mph; and
2. Several residential areas are heavily landscaped, often next to hilly open space areas which a re characterized by dry vegetation during the months from May through September. During these months the dry vegetation, coupled with strong winds, creates a potential fire capable of reaching a magnitude that may be beyond the control capabilities of the Fire Department; and
3. The city is located in Seismic Design Category (SDC) D, a very high-risk earthquake area.
Buildings and other structures in SDC D can experience seismic damage which could have an adverse impact on fire protection. Any earth movement which causes buildings to move creates cracking and warping of firewalls, smoke barriers, door frames, etc., thereby negating the effectiveness of these structural elements which are intended to prevent fire and smoke from spreading within the building. In the event of a fire in large buildings, fire and smoke control conditions can reach a magnitude that is beyond the control capabilities of the Fire Department, thus resulting in major fire damage; and
4. The city is bisected topographically by Interstate 80 and Interstate 680. As a result, the city is divided into discrete districts. Emergency vehicles must use freeway overpasses to travel between the districts. Heavy traffic congestion on the city’s streets and freeway overpasses already acts as a barrier to timely response for emergency vehicles.
In the event of an accident or overpass failure due to an earthquake, sections of the city could become isolated, or response time could be sufficiently slowed, which would increase the risk or severity of injury or property damage; and
5. Much of the soil in and around the city is characterized as unstable. These soil RES. NO. 2025-210
conditions are moderate to severely prone to swelling and shrinking. The soil is also found to contain ammonia, which is highly corrosive to isolated copper in the soil.
SECTION 2. The City Council of the City of Fairfield does hereby announce its intention to consider adoption of an Ordinance entitled: "Ordinance of the City Council of the City of Fairfield Repealing and Replacing Chapter 8 (Fire Prevention Code) of the Fairfield City Code, Adopting by Reference California Code of Regulations, Title 24, Part 7, Part 9, Known as the 2025 California Fire Code, with Amendments to Reflect Local Conditions, and Adopting by Reference Certain Portions of the 2024 International Fire Code" the Ordinance.
SECTION 3. The City Council hereby waives the first reading of the Ordinance in full and approves reading by title only and sets a public hearing for November 18, 2025 at 6:00 p.m., in the Harry T.
Price Memorial Council Chamber, 1000 Webster Street, City of Fairfield, California, or as soon thereafter as the matter may be heard, to hear the comments of the public on said ordinance and the uniform codes to be adopted thereby an d on the adoption of said Ordinance and Resolution. Pursuant to California Government Code Section 6066, Notice of the Public Hearing shall be published in the Daily Republic in accordance with California Government Code Section 6006.
PASSED AND ADOPTED this 21st day of October 2025, by the following vote:
AYES: MEMBERS: MOY/BERTANI/CARR/PANDURO/SANDHU/TONNESEN/WILLIAMS NOES: MEMBERS: _____________________________________________________ ABSENT: MEMBERS: _____________________________________________________ ABSTAIN: MEMBERS: _____________________________________________________
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MAYOR
ATTEST:
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CITY CLERK