REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL
To:Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From:Jason Simpson, City Manager
Prepared by:Damaris Abraham, Community Development Director Date:November 18, 2025
Subject:Public Hearing to Consider an Urgency Ordinance Amending Title 15, Buildings and Construction, of the Lake Elsinore Municipal Code Recommendation
Waive further reading and adopt by a four-fifths vote by title only AN URGENCY ORDINANCE
OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LAKE ELSINORE, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING CHAPTERS 15.02, 15.04, 15.06, 15.20, 15.24, 15.32, 15.38, 15.40, 15.42, AND 15.56 AND ADDING A NEW CHAPTER 15.58 (CALIFORNIA WILDLAND-URBAN INTERFACE CODE) OF TITLE 15 OF THE LAKE ELSINORE MUNICIPAL CODE BY ADOPTING THE 2025 EDITIONS
OF THE CALIFORNIA CODES AND RELATED MODEL CODES WITH APPENDICES AND AMENDMENTS THERETO.
Background
The State’s Health and Safety Code requires local governments to adopt the most recent editions of the model codes related to construction. If the City Council approves this Ordinance, the most recent editions of the construction codes with the applicable amendments will be in effect within the City of Lake Elsinore as required by State law.
Discussion
The State’s Health and Safety Code (Section 17958) mandates that the California Building Standards Commission adopt and publish the California Building Standards Code (Title 24 California Code of Regulations) every three years. The 2025 Edition of the California Code of Regulations, Title 24, which incorporates the below-listed model codes, which become effective statewide on January 1, 2026.
The codes proposed for adoption by reference with amendments include the following:
2025 California Building Standards Code
2025 California Building Code
2025 California Residential Code
2025 California Codes
2 1
6 2
2025 California Mechanical Code
2025 California Plumbing Code
2025 California Energy Code
2026 California Electrical Code
2025 California Existing Building Code
2025 California Green Building Standards Code
2025 California Fire Code
2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code
Of note, the 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code is a new, stand-alone state code added this cycle. It consolidates and reorganizes California's wildfire-resistant building and site requirements in designated fire hazard severity zones, which were previously scattered across multiple codes.
The Community Development Department, Division of Building & Safety, is recommending that changes and modifications be made to the codes and are advising that certain changes and modifications are reasonably necessary due to local conditions in the City of Lake Elsinore.
Staff recommends these local administrative amendments to establish provisions for the effective enforcement of the building codes of the City as a continuation of previously adopted amendments from prior code adoption cycles. Furthermore, many of these proposed amendments are consistent with those adopted by other local jurisdictions and have been specifically requested by CalFire. Additionally, certain proposed amendments are for administrative and procedural clarification and do not modify a building standard. Those modifications that affect code language have been based on express findings due to local climatic, geological, or topographical conditions as set forth in the ordinance.
Fiscal Impact
There is no fiscal impact as the existing fee schedule will be retained.
Attachments
Attachment 1 – Urgency Ordinance
Attachment 2 – Public Hearing Notice
Community Development