Fremont City Council Meeting: 09/16/25 07:00 PM
3300 Capitol Avenue Div/Dept: Fire Department
Fremont, CA 94538 Category: Code Adoptions & Amendments
SCHEDULED
Sponsors:
COUNCIL STAFF REPORT (ID # 5532) DOC ID: 5532
Updated: 9/11/2025 10:53 AM by Dina Lewis Page 1
2025 CALIFORNIA BUILDING STANDARDS CODES ADOPTION – Public Hearing (Published Notice) for Second Reading and Adoption of Ordinances Adopting the 2025 California Fire Code and 2025 Wildland Urban Interface Code with Local Amendments and Make Conforming Amendments to Various Chapters of Fremont Municipal Code Title 15 (BUILDINGS AND CONSTRUCTION) Contact Persons:
Name: Eric Govan Zoraida Diaz
Title: Fire Marshal Fire Chief
Div/Dept: Fire Department Fire Department
Phone: 510-494-4200 510-494-4200
E-Mail: [email protected] [email protected]
Executive Summary: California has published the 2025 Buildings Standards Codes (Codes), with most parts becoming effective on January 1, 2026. The 2025 Codes include regulatory updates and enhancements, and the City Council must adopt the new Codes to make them effective in the City. Staff recommends adoption of the 2025 California Fire Code (CFC) and the 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code (CWUIC), with local amendments. The local amendments align Fremont's local regulations with the latest state standards while incorporating specific administrative and technical modifications tailored to the City's unique local conditions. The proposed ordinances carry forward provisions from Fremont’s current Building and Fire Codes and introduce the new California Wildland -Urban Interface Code which are designed to enhance public safety and property protection. The resolution contains the findings required for the local amendments.
The ordinances were introduced by the City Council at its September 9, 2025 meeting and are now before the Council for adoption.
Background: California Health and Safety Code Section 17958 mandates that the California Building Standards Commission (CBSC) adopt and publish new editions of the California Building Standards Code (Title 24) every three years. The 2025 Edition of the California Code of Regulations, Title 24, was published by CBSC on July 1, 2025, and will take effect on January 1, 2026. Title 24 incorporates model construction and other codes, including the California Building Code, Mechanical Code, Plumbing Code, Electrical Code, Existing Buildings Code, Housing Code, Energy Code, Residential Code, California Fire Code, and California Wildland-Urban Interface Code.
Discussion/Analysis:
Local governments are required to adopt the 2025 state model codes with any local amendments proposed for applicability to their jurisdictions. The proposed ordinances specifically adopt the 2025 California Fire Code and 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code with local amendments. On September 9, 2025, the City Council adopted the resolution that contains the findings to support the local amendments as reasonably necessary due to local climatic and geographic conditions. The City’s new Fire Code and Wildland-Urban Interface codes will become effective January 1, 2026.
Council Staff Report (ID # 5532) Meeting of September 16, 2025 Updated: 9/11/2025 10:53 AM by Dina Lewis Page 2
1. 2025 California Fire Code (CFC): The proposed ordinance adopts the CFC with local amendments that are largely administrative and carry forward existing provisions, while also introducing key changes to enhance life safety and property conservation.
These include:
▪ Fire Alarm System Requirements: Clarified installation and monitoring requirements. Systems must be State Fire Marshal listed and approved, with the building owner providing certification. Remote annunciators are required at main entrances for new or updated systems. Specific detection and manual alarm boxes are mandated for facilities handling lithium-ion or lithium metal batteries. ▪ Hazardous Materials Management: More stringent spill control and secondary containment mechanisms are required for a broader range of hazardous materials and at lower quantity thresholds. This also includes additional construction and monitoring requirements for toxic and highly toxic materials (health hazard classifications 3 and 4), and some flammable and oxidizing materials.
▪ Fire Apparatus Access Roads & Key Boxes: Requirements for fire lane marking and maintenance are detailed. Automatic and manual security gates must be equipped with approved Knox key override switches or padlocks for emergency access. The Knox Rapid Entry System is required in various occupancies for immediate access, and a Knox Document Cabinet is mandated for facilities storing hazardous materials, containing essential pre-fire plans and keys. ▪ Fire Protection Water Supplies: Specific spacing requirements for fire hydrants in residential (every 500 ft) and commercial/industrial/multi-family areas (every 300 ft) are established, with discretion for the Fire Chief to require closer intervals. Hydrants must be clearly identified with reflective markers and paint. ▪ Automatic Sprinkler Systems (AFES): General requirement for AFES in all new buildings (excluding certain Group U occupancies), with detailed modifications for various occupancy groups and building conditions. This includes specific requirements for R-3 occupancies (single-family homes), additions, and repairs/retrofits based on the value of repair. The intent is to confine fires, reduce toxic gases, and facilitate evacuation.
▪ Prohibition of Fireworks: The code maintains the existing prohibition on the possession, manufacture, storage, sale, handling, and use of fireworks within the City.
2. 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code (CWUIC). The proposed ordinance adopts the 2025 CWUIC with specific local amendments to address the heightened wildfire risk in the city.
▪ Purpose: The code establishes minimum regulations for life and property protection against wildland fire intrusion and the spread of structure fires to wildland fuels. It supplements Fremont’s building and fire codes. ▪ Special Building Construction Regulations: New or remodeled structures in WUI Fire Areas are required to comply with enhanced building standards.
This includes:
Council Staff Report (ID # 5532) Meeting of September 16, 2025 Updated: 9/11/2025 10:53 AM by Dina Lewis Page 3
o Roof Coverings: Any new structure or re-roofing in a WUI Fire Area must have a Class A fire-retardant roof covering.
o Exterior Wall Coverings: Exterior walls must be of 1-hour fire-resistive assemblies with a Class I flame spread requirement.
o Utilities: Utilities in exposed under-floor areas must be enclosed with 1-hour fire-resistive material.
o Historical Buildings: Flexibility for historical buildings is provided if a fire protection plan (prepared by a registered Fire Protection Engineer and approved by building official and fire chief) is implemented to ensure an equivalent level of fire safety.
▪ Fire Protection Plans (FPP): These plans are required based on project-specific wildfire hazard assessments, addressing fire department access, water supply, fuel reduction (defensible space), and applicable building codes for wildfire safety. The applicant is responsible for the cost of FPP preparation and review.
Local Conditions Justification: The proposed amendments to the California Fire Code and the California Wildland-Urban Interface Code are reasonably necessary due to Fremont’s local climatic, geological, and topographical conditions, as detailed in Attachment 1 to the proposed resolution. The modifications are designed to mitigate fire impacts, enhance firefighting capacity and efficiency, improve survivability, and reduce human and property losses from fires, wildfires, and hazardous materials incidents. Some of the key local conditions which support the amendments are summarized below:
▪ Climatic Conditions:
o Wildfire Risk: Fremont contains very high fire hazard severity zones.
Increased frequency and intensity of droughts, combined with hotter, drier landscapes, and severe winds, contribute to rapid and irregular fire spread.
This leads to increased demand for emergency services and necessitates robust wildfire prevention measures.
o Extreme Heat: Rising annual average temperatures and more frequent heat waves can worsen air quality and pose public health threats.
▪ Geological and Topographical Conditions:
o Seismic Hazard: Fremont is traversed by the Hayward Fault, with a significant probability (over 28% in the next 30 years) of a major earthquake (up to magnitude 7.1) along its segments. Such an event poses a high risk of structural damage, collapsed power lines, ruptured gas lines, and breaks in water systems, potentially leading to widespread fires and hazardous material releases.
o Soil Conditions: The presence of expansive Bay mud and soft soils can lead to liquefaction during earthquakes, increasing structural damage. o Terrain and Access: The City's hills, creeks, freeways, and dense development create a complex road network with heavy traffic congestion, indirect routes, and steep grades, all of which can significantly delay emergency response times, especially during peak hours or after a major disaster. o Vegetation: Dry grass, brush, and dense woodland areas contribute to high fuel loads, exacerbating fire danger, particularly during dry, hot, windy months.
Council Staff Report (ID # 5532) Meeting of September 16, 2025 Updated: 9/11/2025 10:53 AM by Dina Lewis Page 4
o Population Density and Development: A rapidly growing population increases the frequency of emergency incidents and traffic congestion, further straining public safety resources. Close proximity of buildings with combustible materials also increases fire spread risk.
▪ Climate Change Impacts: The combination of these factors is worsened by climate change, which increases the likelihood and severity of wildfires, landslides, droughts (reducing water for firefighting), and extreme heat events.
FISCAL IMPACT: Adoption of the proposed codes would not have a fiscal impact to the City’s General Fund, as most of the costs associated with the application and administration of the building standards in the City are funded by user fees paid by developers.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: The proposed actions are exempt from CEQA review, each as a separate and independent basis for CEQA compliance, pursuant to: CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b) in that proposed action constitutes organizational and administrative activities of government and is not a “project” which will result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment; Section 15061(b)(3) because there is no possibility the activity will have a significant effect on the environment; Section 15268 in that approval of local legislation constitutes a ministerial action required by California law; and Section 15308 as the proposed action involves regulatory procedures for protection of the environment.
ATTACHMENTS:
• Draft Ordinance- 2025 Fire Code
• Draft Ordinance- 2025 California Wildland Urban Interface Code (CWUIC)
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. Hold a second public hearing.
2. Adopt an ordinance repealing and replacing Chapter 15.35 of the Fremont Municipal Code, adopting the 2025 California Fire Code by reference with local amendments.
3. Adopt an ordinance adding Chapter 15.66 to the Fremont Municipal Code, adopting the 2025 California Wildland Urban Interface Code by reference with local amendments.