CHAPTER 15.04
BUILDING CODES
SECTIONS:
15.04.010 California Codes Adopted
15.04.020 Appendix Chapters Added
15.04.030 Automatic Fire Sprinklers
15.04.040 Previously Constructed Buildings- Sprinkler Systems
15.04.050 Swimming Pool Barriers and Safety Devices
15.04.010 California Codes Adopted
The 2022 California Building Code, Volumes 1 and 2, 2022 California Residential Code, 2022 California Electrical Code, 2022 California Mechanical Code, 2022 California Plumbing Code, 2022 California Fire Code, 2022 Administrative Code, 2022 California Green Building Standards Code, 2022 California Energy Code, 2022 California Historical Code, the 2022 California Existing Building Code, 2022 California Administrative Code, and 2022 California Referenced Standards Code are hereby adopted as the Building Regulations for the City of Hesperia, together with the amendments, additions, deletions, and exceptions set forth in this Section.
15.04.020 Appendix Chapters Added
The following appendix chapters are specifically adopted:
Appendix Chapter I of the 2022 California Building Code titled “Patio Covers”, is hereby adopted in its entirety.
Appendix Chapter A of the 2022 California Plumbing Code titled “Recommended Rules for Sizing the Water Supply System”, is hereby adopted in its entirety.
Appendix Chapter I of the 2022 California Plumbing Code titled “Installation Standards”, is hereby adopted in its entirety.
Appendix Chapter H of the 2022 California Plumbing Code titled “Private Sewage Disposal Systems”, is hereby adopted in its entirety.
Appendix Chapter B of the 2022 California Fire Code titled “Fire Flow Requirements for Buildings” is hereby adopted in its entirety.
Chapter 1 of the 2022 California Building Code is hereby adopted in its entirety.
15.04.030 Automatic Fire Sprinklers
In addition to the requirements of Section R313 of the California Residential Code, an automatic fire sprinkler system shall be installed in all mobile homes, manufactured homes (HSC Sections 18007 and 18009) and multifamily manufactured homes with two dwelling units (HSC 18008.7) based on the manufacturer’s construction completion date after December 31, 2010, that are set-down on private property (excluding mobile home parks). The fire suppression system shall be permitted and approved through the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), in accordance with Title 25 of the California Code of Regulations In addition to the requirements of Section 903 of the 2022 California Building Code, an automatic fire extinguishing system shall be installed in every building of Group A, B, E, F, H, I, L, M, S or U with 5,000 or more square feet of floor area or two or more stories in height.
EXCEPTIONS:
Buildings separated into fire areas of less than 5,000 square feet by one or more four (4) hour separation walls constructed in accordance with Table 721.1(2) of the California Building Code, containing no openings and extending from the foundation to a point at least 30-inches above the roof line.
Canopies constructed entirely of non-combustible materials with no enclosing walls and spaced at least ten (10) feet from adjacent buildings or structures.
Mini-storage buildings constructed entirely of non-combustible materials and not containing hazardous materials.
Buildings with a single, small, low occupancy room on the second floor, when approved by the Fire Chief and Building Official.
Detached garages two stories in height.
15.04.040 Previously Constructed Buildings- Sprinkler Systems Previously constructed buildings with a floor area of 5,000 square feet or more and which are proposing to add floor area, change their occupancy classification to a more hazardous classification, or significantly alter or remodel the building, shall install an automatic fire extinguisher system.
EXCEPTIONS:
Minor tenant improvements, maintenance, and repair such as interior and exterior painting, carpeting, interior window coverings, drapes, interior non-bearing partitions, surface re-roofing or plumbing, mechanical and electrical repairs.
15.04.050 Swimming Pool Barriers and Safety Devices
General. Swimming pools shall comply with the requirements of this section and other applicable sections of the California Building Code.
Definitions. The following words and terms shall, for the purposes of this section and as used elsewhere in this chapter, have the meaning shown herein.
APPROVED SAFETY POOL COVER means a manually or power-operated safety pool cover that meets all of the performance standards of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), in compliance with Standard F 1346-91.
BARRIER (ENCLOSURE) means a fence, wall, or other barrier that isolates a swimming pool from access to the home or other buildings and grounds.
EXIT ALARMS means devices that make audible, continuous alarm sounds when any door or window that permits access from the residence to the pool area that is without any intervening enclosure, is opened, or is left ajar. Exit alarms may be battery operated or may be connected to the electrical wiring of the building.
PRIVATE SWIMMING POOL means a swimming pool located on the grounds of a single-family home.
PUBLIC SWIMMING POOL means a swimming pool for the use of the general public with or without charge, or for the use of the members and guests of a private club. Public swimming pool does not include a swimming pool located on the grounds of a private single-family home.
SWIMMING POOL or POOL means any structure intended for swimming, recreational bathing that contains water over 18 inches deep. This includes in-ground, above-ground, and on-ground pools; hot tubs, spas, portable spas, and fixed-in-place wading pools.
BARRIERS (ENCLOSURES) shall have all the following characteristics:
Barrier Height and Clearances. The top of the barrier shall be at least 60 inches above grade measured on the side of the barrier that faces away from the swimming pool. The maximum vertical clearance between grade and the bottom of the barrier shall be 2 inches measured on the side of the barrier that faces away from the swimming pool. Where the top of the pool structure is above grade, the barrier is authorized to be at ground level or mounted on top of the pool structure, and the maximum vertical clearance between the top of the pool structure and the bottom of the barrier shall be 4 inches.
Openings. Openings in the barrier shall not allow passage of a 4-inch-diameter sphere.
Solid Barrier Surfaces. Solid barriers which do not have openings shall not contain indentations or protrusions except for normal construction tolerances and tooled masonry joints.
Closely Spaced Horizontal Members. Where the barrier is composed of vertical and horizontal members and the distance between the tops of the horizontal members is less than 45 inches, the horizontal members shall be located on the swimming pool side of the fence. Spacing between vertical members shall not exceed 1 ¾ inches in width. Where there are decorative cutouts within vertical members, spacing within cutouts shall not exceed 1 ¾ inches in width.
Widely Spaced Horizontal Members. Where a barrier is composed of horizontal and vertical members and the distance between the tops of the horizontal members is 45 inches or more, spacing between vertical members shall not exceed 4 inches. Where there are decorative cutouts within vertical members, spacing within cutouts shall not exceed 1 ¾ inches in width.
Chain Link Dimensions. Maximum mesh size for chain link fences shall be 2 ¼ inch square unless the fence is provided with sturdy slating fastened at the top or the bottom which reduce the openings to no more than 1 ¾ inches in width.
Diagonal Members. Where the barrier is composed of diagonal members, the maximum opening formed by diagonal members shall be no more than 1 ¾ inches.
Gates. Access doors or gates shall be equipped to accommodate a locking device. Pedestrian access doors or gates shall open outward away from the pool and shall be self-closing and have a self-latching device. Doors or gates other than pedestrian access doors or gates shall be equipped with a locking device. Release mechanisms shall be in accordance with Section 1010.1.9, 1132A and 11B-404 of the California Building Code. Where the release mechanism of the self-latching device is located less than 54 inches from the bottom of the door or gate, the release mechanism shall be located on the pool side of the door or gate at least 3 inches (76 mm) below the top of the door or gate, and the door or gate and barrier shall have no opening greater than ½ inch within 18 inches of the release mechanism.
Pool Structure as Barrier. Where an above-ground pool is used as a barrier or where the barrier is mounted on top of the pool structure, and the means of access is a ladder or steps, then the ladder or steps either shall be capable of being secured, locked, or removed to prevent access, or the ladder or steps shall be surrounded by a barrier which meets the requirements of this section. When the ladder or steps are secured, locked or removed, any opening created shall not allow the passage of a 4-inch diameter sphere.
Prohibited Locations. Barriers shall be located so as to prohibit permanent structures, equipment, or similar objects from being used to climb the barriers.
Safety Features Required. When a building permit is issued for the construction of a new swimming pool or spa or the remodeling of an existing swimming pool or spa at a private single-family home, the respective swimming pool or spa shall be equipped with at least two of the following seven drowning prevention safety features:
A barrier that meets the requirements of Section ‘C’ above and isolates the exterior swimming pool or spa from the private single-family home.
Removable mesh pool fencing that meets American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Specifications F 2286 standards in conjunction with a gate that is self-closing and self-latching and can accommodate a key lockable device.
An “approved” manually or power-operated safety pool cover that meets all of the performance standards of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), in compliance with standard F1346-91.
Exit alarms on the private single-family home's doors that provide direct access to the swimming pool or spa. The exit alarms must produce an audible warning when the door, or its screen, if present, are opened. The alarm shall be listed and labeled in accordance with UL 2017. The deactivation switch shall be located 54 inches or more above the threshold of the door. The exit alarm may cause either an alarm noise or a verbal warning, such as a repeating notification that "the door to the pool is open." A self-closing, self-latching device with a release mechanism placed no lower than 54 inches above the floor on the private single-family home's doors providing direct access to the swimming pool or spa.
An alarm that, when placed in a swimming pool or spa, will sound upon detection of accidental or unauthorized entrance into the water. The alarm shall meet and be independently certified to the ASTM Standard F2208 "Standard Safety Specification for Residential Pool Alarms," which includes surface motion, pressure, sonar, laser and infrared type alarms. A swimming protection alarm feature designed for individual use, including an alarm attached to a child that sounds when the child exceeds a certain distance or becomes submerged in water, is not a qualifying drowning prevention safety feature.
Other means of protection, if the degree of protection afforded is equal to or greater than that afforded by any of the devices set forth in items 1-4 and have been independently verified by an approved testing laboratory as meeting standards for those devices established by the ASTM or the American Society of Testing Mechanical Engineers (ASME).
Exception: Indoor Swimming Pools. Walls surrounding indoor swimming pools shall not be required to comply with this section Construction Requirements. Whenever a building permit is issued for the construction of a new swimming pool or spa, the pool or spa shall meet all of the following requirements:
1. The suction outlets of the pool or spa for which the permit is issued shall be equipped to provide circulation throughout the pool or spa as prescribed in paragraphs (2) and (3).
The swimming pool or spa shall either have at least two circulation suction outlets per pump that shall be hydraulically balanced and symmetrically plumbed through one or more "T" fittings, and that are separated by a distance of at least three feet in any dimension between the suction outlets, or be designed to use alternatives to suction outlets, including, but not limited to, skimmers or perimeter overflow systems to conduct water to the recirculation pump.
The circulation system shall have the capacity to provide a complete turnover of pool water, as specified in Section 3124B of Chapter 31B of the California Building Standards Code (Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations).
Suction outlets shall be covered with anti-entrapment grates, as specified in the ANSI/APSP-16 performance standard or successor standard designated by the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission, that cannot be removed except with the use of tools. Slots or openings in the grates or similar protective devices shall be of a shape, area and arrangement that would prevent physical entrapment and would not pose any suction hazard to bathers.
Any backup safety system that an owner of a new swimming pool or spa may choose to install in addition to the requirements set forth in subdivisions (a) and (b) shall meet the standards as published in the document, "Guidelines for Entrapment Hazards: Making Pools and Spas Safer," Publication Number 363, March 2005, United States Consumer Product Safety Commission.
EXHIBIT “A”