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CITY OF GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA
REPORT TO THE SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA ITEM
Report: Introduction and Adoption of 2026 Glendale Building and Safety Code
1. Ordinance for Introduction Adopting and Amending Specific Portions of the California Building Standards Code as the Glendale Building and Safety Code, 2026;
2. Resolution Adopting Findings and Analysis of Amendments to the California Building Standards Code [Title 24, California Code of Regulations]
COUNCIL ACTION
Item Type: Action Item
Approved for October 28, 2025 calendar
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
City Amendment
The proposed local amendments to the California Building Standards Code are all carry-overs with very few and minor changes from the current Glendale Building and Safety Code (substantially equivalent to changes or modifications that were previously filed by the City and were in effect as of September 30, 2025). Regional efforts to standardize local codes has resulted in greater uniformity among neighboring cities. A small number of new amendments have been updated and previous amendments removed or revised in Volume IA Building Standards and Volume VI of the Fire Standards in order to standardize our local codes to be in line with neighboring jurisdictions and the state’s new Wildland Urban Interface Standards.
State Amendments
The new Wildland Urban Interface Standards are adopted with minor local amendments in compliance with AB130.
National Amendment
The adoption aligns engineering requirements in the building code with the major revisions to national standards.
Compliance with AB130
All of the local amendments comply with the provisions of AB130, which became effective June 30, 2025, and enacted a moratorium on state and local building 29a
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standards affecting residential units beginning October 1, 2025, and ending June 1, 2031, with some limited exceptions.
RECOMMENDATION
Introduce and subsequently adopt an ordinance adopting the California Building Standards Code, with some local amendments, as the Building and Safety Code of the City of Glendale, 2026; adopt a companion resolution of findings and analysis of amendments as required by state law.
ANALYSIS
Every three years, the State of California adopts new model codes to establish uniform standards for the construction and maintenance of buildings, plumbing systems, mechanical systems, electrical systems, and fire and life safety systems. Pursuant to Health and Safety Code Section 18941.5, local jurisdictions are mandated to adopt such state codes, generally within 180 days after publication of the code by the California Building Standards Commission. Prior to adoption, amendments to the state codes desired by the local jurisdiction may be made if each amendment can be justified on the basis of a local climatic, local geological, and/or local topographical condition which affects the jurisdiction.
AB 130, which became effective on June 20, 2025, amended Health and Safety Code Sections 17958, 17958.5, 17958.7, and 18941.5 relative to local amendments to Title 24 to prohibit cities/counties from making any local amendments that are applicable to residential units, unless one of the following conditions is met:
The changes or modifications 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.
oThe California Building Standards Commission (the commission) in an information bulletin to local agencies (Information Bulletin 25-03), stated that it interprets this to mean a local amendment applicable to residential units being carried forward from a previously filed ordinance (i.e., an ordinance amending the 2022 edition of Title 24) with no material change in regulatory effect to the existing standards.
The commission deems those changes or modifications necessary as emergency standards to protect health and safety.
oThe commission stated in the bulletin that it interprets this to mean a local ordinance that has been adopted on an emergency and/or urgency basis in order to protect the health and safety of the regulated community, and necessitates an emergency/urgency finding or justification be included with the ordinance along with other findings required by state law. 39a
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The changes or modifications relate to home hardening. oThe term “home hardening” is not defined in AB130 but the commission interprets this to mean local amendments to the California Wildland-Urban Interface Code (Part 7 of Title 24). For local amendments that pertain to home hardening outside of Part 7, the commission may review in consultation with the Office of the State Fire Marshal. The building standards relate to home hardening and are proposed for adoption by a fire protection district pursuant to Section 13869.7. The changes or modifications are necessary to implement a local code amendment that is adopted to align with a general plan approved on or before June 10, 2025, and that permits mixed-fuel residential construction consistent with federal law while also incentivizing all-electric construction as part of an adopted greenhouse gas emissions reduction strategy.
The ordinance for adoption before City Council, the Glendale Building and Safety Code, is comprised of 12 distinct volumes (9 numbered volumes with Volume I having 4 subparts) as follows:
1. Volume IA: Building Standards (For Commercial and Multi-Family Residential)
2. Volume IB: Residential Standards (For One-and-Two Family Dwellings and Townhouses)
3. Volume IC: Existing Building Standards
4. Volume ID: Wildland-Urban Interface Standards
5. Volume II: Plumbing Standards
6. Volume III: Mechanical Standards
7. Volume IV: Electrical Standards
8. Volume V: Housing Standards
9. Volume VI: Fire Standards
10.Volume VII: Security Standards
11.Volume VIII: Commercial and Industrial Property Maintenance Standards
12.Volume IX: Green Building Standards
The regulatory requirements contained within the first six volumes are based on requirements contained within the California Code of Regulations (CCR), specifically, portions of Titles 19, 24, and 25. The California Building Standards Commission (CBSC) adopted such requirements into the California Building Code, California Residential Code, California Existing Building Code, California Plumbing Code, California Mechanical Code, California Electrical Code, California Fire Code, and California Green Building Standards Code. Adoption and enforcement of the Uniform Housing Code is mandated through the State Housing Law (Health and Safety Code, Division 13, Part
1.5, Section 17960). The 1997 Edition of the Uniform Housing Code was adopted by the 49a
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California Department of Housing and Community Development as provided for in CCR, Title 25, Division 1, Chapter 1, Subchapter 1, Article 5, Section 32.
Local adoption of such codes is mandated to be in effect on January 1, 2026. As stated above, jurisdictional bodies may amend said codes if such amendments are justified on the basis of a local climatic, local geological or local topographical condition which makes such amendment(s) necessary, subject to the limitations contained in AB130, as discussed above.
Staff from the Community Development Department’s Building and Safety Division and the Fire Department have reviewed the state codes, and have proposed a small number of local amendments for adoption as the Building and Safety Code of the City of Glendale, 2026, with proper justifications to be submitted to the California Building Standards Commission.
The Building Official has determined these amendments are necessary to maintain the current level of protection throughout the City of Glendale, which has been provided through the present day in the current Glendale Building and Safety Code. In fact, the vast majority of the proposed amendments were carried over from the current code.
Moreover, in compliance with AB130, amendments applicable to residential units fall into one or more exceptions such as being substantially similar to amendments already in effects or being for home hardening.
The proposed amendments generally fall into four categories.
1. Administrative - Several local amendments have been proposed to establish administrative regulations pertaining to the performance of plan check, the issuance of permits, the collection of fees, and other administrative standards.
2. Fire Safety- Several local amendments have been proposed to increase the level of protection to building occupants through specific standards related to fire sprinklers, smoke detection and alarms, restriction of certain building materials, and construction standards for buildings located within high fire hazard areas.
3. Life Safety - Several local amendments have been proposed to increase overall life safety through enhanced structural design, improved seismic design, modified egress standards, and limitation of building heights and/or building areas.
4. Grading - Several local amendments have been proposed to augment the basic grading standards contained within the model building code to more closely match currently enforced grading standards. Such amendments prescribe specific requirements related to cut slopes, fill slopes, retaining walls, and geotechnical 59a
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investigations. The aesthetic grading standards contained within Title 15 of the G.M.C. will not be affected by the proposed amendments.
Staff recommend that the Council review, introduce and subsequently adopt the ordinance, consisting of the local amendments to Title-24 C.C.R. herein described to maintain the current level of protection throughout the City.
Staff also recommend that the Council review and adopt the resolution establishing findings of fact that justify local amendments to Title-24 C.C.R. on the basis of specific local climatic, typographic and/or geologic conditions and compliance with AB130.
An initial draft of the ordinance known as the Building and Safety Code of the City of Glendale, 2026, was introduced publicly at the September 17, 2025 and October 15, 2025 meetings of the Building and Fire Board of Appeals for review and consideration.
As a result of these two meetings, the public was given an opportunity to make inquiries regarding the proposed amendments. As of the date of this writing, no such inquiries have been received. If any do come in before adoption by the Council, they will be provided to Council and addressed by the Building Official. On October 15, 2025, after reviewing the draft of the proposed ordinance with the proposed amendments, and after public discussion, the Building and Fire Board of Appeals unanimously recommended that the City Council approve the proposed ordinance accompanying this agenda item adopting the Building and Safety Code of the City of Glendale, 2026.
Prior to adoption of the proposed ordinance, staff requests that the City Council adopt by resolution findings of fact (accompanying this item) which would justify the amendments to the California Building Standards Code. If adopted, copies of the ordinance and resolution will be submitted to the California Building Standards Commission as required by law.
STAKEHOLDERS/OUTREACH
Meeting with Building and Fire Board of Appeals on September 17, 2025 and October 15, 2025 to Introduce the Proposed Local Amendments to Title-24, C.C.R. for the 2026 Glendale Building and Safety Code.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with this report.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW (CEQA/NEPA)
The adoption of the Ordinance and Resolution is exempt from further review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in that it is not a Project which has the 69a
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potential for causing a significant effect on the environment under Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations, Section 15061(b)(3).
CAMPAIGN DISCLOSURE
This item is exempt from campaign disclosure requirements.
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATION
1. Do not introduce the Ordinance and by default enforce the state codes. We will lose our current level of protection and reduce our enforcement abilities throughout the City.
2. Consider any alternative not proposed by staff.
ADMINISTRATIVE ACTION
Submitted by:
Bradley Calvert, Director of Community Development
Prepared by:
Ara Sargsyan, Building Official
Approved by:
Roubik R. Golanian, P.E., City Manager
EXHIBITS/ATTACHMENTS
1. Analysis of Amendments to the Building Standards Code
2. Matrix of Amendments
3. Key to Justifications for Amendments to Title 24 Of the California Code of Regulations