RESOLUTION NO. 25.XXX
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
LAGUNA BEACH, CALIFORNIA, SETTING FORTH FINDINGS
WITH RESPECT TO LOCAL CONDITIONS WITHIN THE CITY
OF LAGUNA BEACH WHICH MAKE NECESSARY CERTAIN
MODIFICATIONS AND CHANGES TO THE 2025 CALIFORNIA
BUILDING CODE AND OTHER RELATED BUILDINGS
STANDARDS CODES
The City Council of the City of Laguna Beach Finds and resolves as follows:
WHEREAS, Health and Safety Code Section 17958 provides that the City of Laguna Beach shall adopt ordinances and regulations imposing the same or modified or changed requirements as are contained in the 2025 California Building Standards Code adopted by the State pursuant to Health and Safety Code Section 17922; and
WHEREAS, Health and Safety Code Section 17958.5(a) permits the City to make modifications or changes to the 2025 California Building Standards Code, which are reasonably necessary because of local climatic, geological or topographical conditions; and WHEREAS, Health and Safety Code Section 17958.7 requires that the City Council, before making any modifications or changes to the 2025 California Building Standards Code, shall make express findings that such changes or modifications are reasonably necessary because of local climatic, geological or topographical conditions; and WHEREAS, the Community Development Department and the Laguna Beach Fire Department (LBFD) have worked together to prepare Ordinance No. XXXX recommending that certain changes and modifications be made to the 2025 California Building Standards Code that are reasonably necessary as administrative or procedural in nature, or to ensure consistency with previously adopted ordinances, or are intended to enhance life and fire safety due to the following local conditions:
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I. Climatic Conditions
A. Orange County and the City of Laguna Beach are located in a semi-arid Mediterranean type of climate. It annually experiences extended periods of high temperatures with little or no precipitation. Its coastal location and low inland ridge of hills create a unique microclimate that moderates temperature extremes. Hot, dry (Santa Ana) winds, which may reach speeds of +70 M.P.H. or greater, are also common to the area. Laguna Beach local climatic conditions may cause extreme drying of vegetation and common building materials, and predispose all fuels, including wood shingles, to rapid ignition and spread of fire. Untreated wood roofs pose a serious fire hazard and aid the rapid spread of fires when such fires are accompanied by high winds. Pieces of burning wooden roofs become flying brands and are carried by the wind to other locations and thereby spread fire quickly.
B. Frequent periods of drought and low humidity add to the fire danger. This predisposes the area to large destructive fires (conflagration). In addition to directly damaging or destroying buildings, fires are also prone to disrupt utility services throughout the County. Obstacles generated by a strong wind, such as fallen trees, streetlights and utility poles could greatly impact the response time to reach an incident scene. Placement of multiple occupancy buildings, location of arterial roads, and LBFD staffing constraints due to recent revenue-limiting state legislation have made it difficult for the LBFD to establish additional fire stations and provide manpower sufficient to concentrate fire companies and personnel to control fires that may occur within high density apartment or residential buildings. Therefore, the proposed amendments would require additional built-in on-site fire protection systems that are needed to protect occupants and property until firefighting apparatus and personnel arrive on the scene.
The added protection of fire sprinkler systems and other fire protection features would supplement normal LBFD response by providing immediate protection for the building occupants and by containing and controlling the fire spread to the area of origin. Fire sprinkler systems will also reduce the use of water for firefighting by as much as 50 to 75 percent.
C. The climate alternates between extended periods of drought and brief flooding conditions. Flood conditions may affect the Laguna Beach Fire Department’s ability to respond to a fire or emergency condition. Floods also disrupt utility services to buildings and facilities within the County.
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D. Water demand in this densely populated area far exceeds the quantity supplied by natural precipitation; and although the population continues to grow, the already-taxed water supply does not. Due to limited rainfall in the area, storage capacity limitations and rising consumption needs, future water allocation is not fully dependable. This necessitates the need for additional on-site fire protection features.
E. Vegetation management: While the city runs extensive programs using hand crews and goats to create fire breaks and abate weeds, the dense chaparral habitat surrounding the city remains a significant fire fuel. Balancing fuel reduction with preserving the natural coastal ecosystem is an ongoing challenge
F. The warm, dry climate in the region is conducive to swimming pools which creates a higher probability of child drowning where pools are unprotected.
II. Topographical conditions
A. Natural steep and inaccessible slopes of 15 percent or greater generally occur throughout the foothills of Orange County, including Laguna Beach. The elevation changes of the hills provide challenging geological foundation designs for future growth given steeper slopes and greater constraints in terrain.
B. Road circulation features throughout the County also necessitate reasonable amendments. Major roadways, highways, and flood control channels create barriers and can slow emergency response times. Combined with hills, slopes, street and storm drain designs, and occasional heavy rainfall, these conditions can cause roadway flooding and landslides, at times rendering emergency access routes impassable. As part of this larger system, Laguna Beach may be negatively impacted during emergencies.
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C. The placement of multiple-occupancy buildings, the location of arterial roads, and LBFD staffing constraints resulting from recent revenue-limiting state legislation have made it difficult for the LBFD to site additional fire stations and provide sufficient manpower to concentrate fire companies and personnel for controlling fires in high-density apartment or condominium buildings. These conditions create a critical need for built-in on-site fire protection systems to safeguard occupants and property until firefighting apparatus and personnel arrive on the scene.
D. These topographical conditions combine to create circumstances that may place LBFD response times to fire incidents at risk, making it necessary to provide automatic on-site fire-extinguishing systems and implement other protective measures to safeguard occupants and property.
E. Due to topographical conditions of sprawling development separated by narrow and congested streets and the expected infrastructure damage inherent in a seismically active area, it is prudent to rely on automatic fire sprinkler systems to mitigate extended fire department response time and keep fires manageable with reduced fire flow (water) requirements for a given structure. Additional fire protection is also justified to match the current resources, firefighting equipment and personnel within the Laguna Beach Fire Department.
Additionally, the City of Laguna Beach has only three access or egress points (North Coast Highway, South Coast Highway, and Laguna Canyon Road). With the daily reliance on automatic or mutual aid, any condition that limits an access point exponentially increases response times for outside aid.
III. Geological Conditions
A. The City of Laguna Beach is located in Seismic Design Category D or higher. There are earthquake faults that run along both the northeastern and southwestern boundaries of Orange County. The NewportInglewood Fault Zone (NIFZ) which runs through Orange County was the source of the destructive 1933 Long Beach earthquake (6.3 magnitude, hypocenter off Newport Beach coast), which took 120 lives, with areas damaged from Laguna Beach to Marina del Rey and inland to Whittier, and poses one of the greatest hazards to lives and property in the nation. Regional planning to address issues related to earthquake recurrence is recommended by the State of California, Department of Conservation and Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. There Attachment 3
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was also an earthquake in December 1989, with the epicenter located near the City of Irvine. The fault on which this quake occurred was unknown prior to this activity. The October 17, 1989, Santa Cruz earthquake resulted in only one major San Francisco fire in the Marina district, but when combined with the 34 other fires and over 500 responses, the fire department was taxed to its full capabilities. The Marina fire was difficult to contain because water mains supplying water to the district burst during the earthquake. If more fires had been ignited by the earthquake, it would have been difficult for the fire department to contain them. Experts predict a major earthquake in the Laguna Beach area within the next 50 years. This situation creates the need for both additional fire protection measures and automatic on-site fire protection for building occupants since a multitude of fires may result from breakage of gas and electric lines as a result of an earthquake. As noted by the document Planning Scenario on a Major Earthquake on the Newport-Inglewood Fault Zone, 1988, State Department of Conservation states: “unfortunately, barely meeting the minimum earthquake standards of building codes places a building on the verge of being legally unsafe”;
B. In the event of local emergency conditions within the City of Laguna Beach, traffic and circulation congestion often places LBFD response time to fire occurrences at risk. This condition will be exacerbated by any major regional disaster, including any earthquake wherein damage to the highway system will occur. This condition makes the need for additional on-site protection for property occupants necessary.
C. Soils throughout Orange County possess corrosive properties that can reduce the usable life of metallic electrical conduits and water services when in contact with these soils, necessitating amendments to the code to protect public health and safety.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LAGUNA BEACH DOES RESOLVE:
SECTION 1. That certain changes and modifications to the 2025 California Building Standards Code identified in proposed Ordinance No. XXX are reasonably necessary as administrative or procedural in nature, or to ensure consistency with previously adopted ordinances, or are intended to enhance life and fire safety due to the climatic, topographical, and/or geological conditions cited below. Furthermore, the City Council declares that all the changes or modifications are substantially equivalent to changes or modifications that were previously filed by the City of Laguna Beach and were in effect as of September 30, 2025 Attachment 3
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Changes Proposed in Ordinance No. XXX Findings as identified in above Sections I, II, III, or administrative)
California BuildingCode
14.50.010 Adoption of the California Building Code, including California Building Code Chapter 1, Division II and
Appendix Chapters G, H, I & J.
14.50.014 Amendment to Section 101
14.50.016 Amendment to Section 103
14.50.022 Amendment to Subsection 105.2
14.50.024 Amendment of Subsection 105.5
14.50.026 Addition of Subsection 109.7
14.50.030 Amendment to Subsection 113.1
14.50.034 Amendment to Subsection 114.4
14.50.036 Amendment to Subsection 115.3
14.50.044 Amendment to Subsection 403.1
14.50.052 Amendment to Subsection 404.3
14.50.056 Amendment to Subsection 410.6
14.50.104 Amendment to Section 903
14.50.105 Amendment to Subsection 904.3.5
14.50.106 Amendment to Subsection 905.4
14.50.107 Amendment to Subsection 907.3.1
14.50.112 Amendment to Subsection 705.1
14.50.116 Amendment to Subsection 705.2.3.1
14.50.120 Amendment to Section 1505
14.50.132 Amendment to Section 3307
I, II, III
14.52.010 Adoption of the California Residential Code including Chapter 1, Division II and Appendix Chapters BH and CI
14.52.014 Addition of Subsection R101.4
14.52.022 Amendment to Table R301.2
14.52.024 Amendment to Subsection R324.6.2
14.52.026 Amendment to Subsection R309.1
14.52.030 Amendment to Subsection R309.2
14.52.031 Amendment to Subsection R309.3
14.52.032 Deletion of Subsections R309.3.1 through R309.3.8.2
14.52.064 Amendment to Appendix CI Subsection CI100
I,II,III
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14.70.010 Adoption of the California Wildland-Urban Interface Code including Chapter 1, Division II,
excluding Chapter 4.
14.70.015 Amendment to Subsection 101.2
14.70.020 Amendment to Subsection 504.2
14.70.025 Addition of Subsection 504.10.4
14.70.030 Amendment to Subsection 504.5.2
14.70.035 Addition of Subsection 504.8.3
14.70.040 Addition of Subsection 504.8.4
14.70.045 Delete and Replace of Section 602.2, and Delete of Subsection 602.3, Subsection 602.3.1, and 602.3.2
14.70.050 Delete and Replace of Section 603.3.1
14.70.055 Addition of Section 603.4
14.70.060 Addition of Section 604.1.1
14.70.065 Addition of Section 604.1.2
14.70.070 Addition of Section 613
14.70.075 Addition of Section 614
I,II
II
I,II
14.86.010 Adoption of the California Green Building Code.
14.86.011 Addition of subsection 4.106.4.5
14.86.012 Addition of subsection 4.304.2
14.86.013 Addition of subsection 4.503.2
I,II
California Fire Code
15.01.010 Adoption of the 2025 California Fire Code including Chapters 1-80 and Appendix Chapter 4, and
Appendices B, BB, C, CC, D, H and K with the
following amendments:
15.01.020 Amendment to Chapter 1 of the Fire Code.
15.01.025 Amendment to Chapter 2 of the Fire Code
15.01.030 Amendment to Chapter 3 of the Fire Code.
15.01.035 Amendment to Chapter 9 of the Fire Code
15.01.040 Amendment to Chapter 11 of the Fire Code.
15.01.045 Amendment to Chapter 49 of the Fire Code.
15.01.050 Amendment to Chapter 50 of the Fire Code.
15.01.055 Amendment to Chapter 56 of the Fire Code.
15.01.060 Amendment to Chapter 57 of the Fire Code.
15.01.065 Amendment to Chapter 61 of the Fire Code.
15.01.070 Amendment to Chapter 80 of the Fire Code.
15.01.075 Appendix adoption of the 2025 Fire Code.
I, II, III
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SECTION 2. The Community Development Department shall file copies of Resolution No. 25-XX and Ordinance No. XXXX with the California Building Standards Commission as required by Health and Safety Code Section 17958.7.
ADOPTED at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Laguna Beach held on this _____ day of _________, 2026.
Alex Rounaghi, Mayor
ATTEST:
Ann Marie McKay, City Clerk
I, Ann Marie McKay, City Clerk of the City of Laguna Beach, certify that the foregoing Resolution No. 25.XXX was duly adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council of said City held on _____________, 2026, by the following vote:
AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS:
NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS:
ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS:
City Clerk, City of Laguna Beach, CA
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