CITY OF PACIFICA
COUNCIL AGENDA SUMMARY REPORT
10/27/2025
1 SUBJECT:
Discussion of local amendments to the 2025 Edition of the California Building Standards Code including options for Electric Vehicle readiness, load storage, water efficient landscaping, and bicycle parking requirements.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Receive a presentation and provide final direction regarding preparation of the ordinance.
STAFF CONTACT:
Samantha Updegrave, LEED AP, Community Development Director 650.738.7341
[email protected]
Greg McFann, Certified Building Official
CSG Consulting
[email protected]
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION:
The standards for construction of buildings are contained in Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations, Building Standards Code, more commonly known as the “California Building Code” (CBC). The CBC includes 12 parts addressing a range of regulations that comprehensively address building safety, energy efficiency, and other factors. State law requires local agencies including the City of Pacifica to adopt updated versions of the CBC every three years, which is referred to as the “triennial code updates.” The City of Pacifica must adopt the next triennial CBC update (2025 CBC) so that it can be effective as of January 1, 2026. State law also allows local agencies to amend the CBC, which is standardized across the state of California, to make changes that are reasonably necessary because of local climatic, geological, or topographical conditions.
Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 130, a budget trailer bill, on June 30, 2025.
It became effective immediately and made significant changes to a city or county’s ability to adopt amendments to the California Building Standards by essentially placing a moratorium on the adoption or modification of new state and local building standards affecting residential units.
AB 130, among other changes, amends Health and Safety Code sections 17958 and 17958.5, 17958.7, and 18941.5 to prohibit a city or county from making changes or adopting more restrictions (e.g., Reach Codes) to the State Building Standards applicable to residential units from October 1, 2025 to June 1, 2031, unless one of the following conditions is met:
• The changes or modifications are substantially equivalent to changes or modifications previously filed by the city/county and were in effect as of September 30, 2025; • The Commission deems the change or modification necessary as an emergency standard to protect health and safety;
• The changes or modifications relate to home hardening; • The building standards relate to home hardening and are proposed for adoption by a fire Pacifica City Council 2
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prevention district;
• 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 (i.e., electric and natural gas, etc.) residential construction consistent with federal law while also incentivizing all-electric construction as part of an adopted greenhouse gas emissions reduction strategy; or
• Where the changes or modifications are related to administrative practices, are proposed for adoption during the time between Building Code updates, and exclusively results in any of the following:
o Reductions in time for a local agency to issue a post-entitlement permit; o Alterations to a local agency’s post-entitlement fee schedule; o Modernization of, or adoption of, new permitting platforms and software utilized by the local agency;
o Reductions in cost of internal operation for a local agency; or o Establishment, alteration or removal of local programs related to enforcement of building code violations or complaints alleging building code violations.
On September 22, 2025, City Council conducted a study session to discuss changes in State law under Senate Bill (SB) 130 and potential local amendments for the 2025 triennial updates, as well as considerations for further study over the next fiscal year to explore exceptions under SB 130.
For several CBC update cycles, the City has also adopted other local amendments to various components of the CBC. These have included the Building Code, Residential Code, Electrical Code, Plumbing Code, Energy Code, and Green Building Standards Code (codified in Pacifica Municipal Code [PMC] Title 8), as well as the Fire Code (codified in PMC Title 4, Chapter 3). As discussed in the study session on September 22, 2025, staff intend to carry forward most of these local amendments in largely the same form as in prior updates with minor amendments to eliminate typos, improve organization of sections to align with the 2025 CBC, and other minor amendments detailed in the September 22, 2025 staff report. Amendments to be carried forward include the amendments made in the 2022 CBC update related to geotechnical hazard assessments, underground utility installation, and Electric Vehicle (EV) parking and readiness for residential and non-residential development.
However, the requirements related to all-electric new construction (PMC Sections 8-7.04 and 8-
7.06), would not be carried forward. Due to the Ninth Circuit’s holding in California Restaurant Association v. City of Berkeley (CRA), which expressly struck down Berkeley’s Reach Code prohibiting the installation of natural gas piping in all new buildings because the Ninth Circuit determined that Berkeley’s ordinance was preempted by the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (“EPCA”) and that, by its plain text and structure, EPCA’s preemption provision encompasses building codes that regulate natural
gas use by covered products. By prohibiting natural gas piping into buildings, Berkeley ordinance created an indirect regulation, which rendered the gas appliances useless, and thus the Ninth Circuit found the regulation to be one that fell within EPCA’s preemption provision.
After discussion of this case, Council gave the City Manager direction to omit the City’s requirements related to all-electric new construction.
During the study session, Council asked for additional information about Electric Vehicle (EV) requirements, load storage, water efficient landscaping, and bicycle parking requirements, which are discussed in greater detail in the following sections of this staff report.
Electric Vehicle Charging and Readiness: Low Power Level 2 Chargers Council expressed interest in greater flexibility in the types of EV chargers for residential uses, Pacifica City Council 3
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specifically allowances for “Low Power Level 2” that are permitted under the CBC. Chargers range from Level 1, which is slow and uses a standard 120-volt outlet to Level 3 direct current commercially accessible chargers.
Level 2 chargers use either a 240-volt outlet or a hard-wired charger, which are compatible with all EVs, best for daily use, and preferred for home installation since they allow overnight charging, gaining between 12 to 40 miles per hour. All Level 2 chargers require a 240-volt outlet however, the low power Level 2 chargers use a lower amperage circuit (20 amp), and place less demand on home electrical systems. This leads to slower charging rates compared to the standard higher-powered Level 2 option (40-amp circuit) but is still a significant upgrade to the standard 120-volt outlet which can only charge at a rate of 3 - 5 miles per hour. A low power 20- amp Level 2 charger would charge a 60kWh EV battery in 12 hours, whereas the higher-power 40-amp Level 2 charger would take 6 hours.
For multi-family development, the CBC requires one low power Level 2 receptacle for all assigned EV parking spaces. Pacifica’s code goes beyond that and requires multi-family developments to provide 15 percent of EV spaces to be equipped with Level 2 receptacles, and 85 percent to be equipped with low power Level 2 chargers (PMC section 8-7.03).
The City Manager is seeking direction from City Council whether to include a local amendment in the CBC update that would modify or eliminate the percentage of standard Level 2 receptacles to allow more or all low-power Level 2 receptacles. The reduction or elimination of standard Level 2 receptacles could reduce both the cost of installation and operational costs for users. Staff recommend City Council either maintain the current PMC requirement for a 15/85 split, or reduce the requirement for standard Level 2 receptacles down to between 5 to 10 percent, as the ability to modify or re-instate the current requirement is limited for the next two code cycles under SB 130.
Automatic Load Management Systems
Council asked for additional information on Automatic Load Management Systems (ALMS). An ALMS manages power distribution across multiple EV chargers and thereby allows a reduction in the maximum required electrical capacity to each EV charger/EV ready parking space.
Rather than wiring every charger (or EV-ready receptacle) at full 40-amp capacity, an ALMS shares one circuit (or service) among multiple charging points and distributes power as needed, as long as each active charger gets at least 3.3 kW under simultaneous use. The wiring must still be robust (40-amp minimum) even if not always delivering full power, so that future upgrades or maximal use don’t overburden the infrastructure. Chargers installed under ALMS must support at least 30-amp output, meaning they can use more of the available capacity when conditions allow.
The use of ALMS reduces the peak load demand on the building’s service, potentially reducing the size of transformers, switchgear, and feeder capacity required. However, ALMS doesn’t allow for under sizing the main service or distribution - the building and transformer still need sufficient capacity for expected maximum loads, even if they’re managed / staggered.
Within the CGBSC, ALMS is optional in many contexts (“may be used”) for multi-family and hotel and motel developments, meaning projects can choose between full-capacity individual wiring or a more managed / shared approach, depending on cost and performance tradeoffs.
The above discussion of ALMS was requested as information only.
Electric Bicycle Charging
City Council requested information about requirements for charging receptacles proximate to Pacifica City Council 4
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bicycle parking to allow for E-bike charging. There are no provisions in the 2025 CBC requiring bike charging or outlets at bike parking.
The use of E-bikes for transportation and recreation continues to grow. E-bikes use lithium-ion batteries, and recent legislation such as SB 712 (2023) and SB 1271 (2024) address, among others, issues related to E-bike storage and battery safety. Provisions related to E-bike charging should consider safety issues, including but not limited to, storage and charging locations, electrical supply, spacing and separation, temperatures, and fire-safety.
The City Manager seeks direction on inclusion of receptacles for E-bike charging proximate to bicycle parking. Due to the limitations on new REACH Codes affecting residential units imposed by SB 130, these regulations could only apply to bike parking for non-residential uses. Staff does not recommend inclusion of required charging outlets at this time due to the limited applicability and need for further analysis.
Outdoor Potable Water Use in Landscape Areas
Council wanted clarification on local water efficient landscape ordinances, including whether the current Reach Codes would prevent an agency such as the North Coast County Water District (NCCWD) from enforcing local regulations.
California Government Code Section 65595 mandates that local agencies adopt water-efficient landscape ordinances to conserve water. If a local agency does not adopt its own ordinance by January 1, 2010, the state's model ordinance automatically applies within its jurisdiction. The California Green Building Standards Code (CGBSG) requires residential developments to “comply with a local water efficient landscape ordinance or the current California Department of Resources’ Model Water Efficient Landscaping Ordinance (MWELO), whichever is more stringent” (CGBSC Section 4.304.1). Pacifica does not have a local MWELO and has adopted the State’s MWELO, however, the City’s 2022 Reach Codes allows smaller projects an alternative compliance pathway. “Projects with aggregate landscape areas less than 2,500 square feet may comply with the MWELO's Appendix D Prescriptive Compliance Option” (PMC Section 8-7.05).
The City can only enforce what is within its municipal code. In the context of the CGBSC referenced above, a “local ordinance” would mean codified provisions within Title 8 Building Regulations, and not the requirements of another public agency. In compliance with the Government Code, Pacifica enforces the State MWELO, and provides an allowance for smaller projects to use the prescriptive compliance option provided in the State’s MWELO. Even if the North Coast County Water District has regulations relating to outdoor potable water use in landscaped areas, they would be responsible for enforcing those regulations, not the City.
The City Manager seeks direction on eliminating the local amendment that allows a prescriptive compliance pathway for smaller projects. Staff recommend no changes and carrying the local amendment forward. Removing flexibility for smaller projects would increase the costs of residential development and would not impact the regulatory authority of other public agencies.
Next Steps
The City of Pacifica must adopt the next triennial CBC update (2025 CBC) so that it can be effective as of January 1, 2026. Based on the direction provided to the City Manager, staff will prepare the 2025 Triennial Building and Fire Code Ordinance update and introduce it for consideration by the City Council at the meeting on November 10, 2025, and bring to Council for adoption on November 24, 2025.
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ALTERNATIVE ACTION:
This is a study session for City Council to provide direction. Any decision to adopt local amendments would be considered by the City Council at a future public hearing.
RELATION TO CITY COUNCIL STRATEGIC GOALS:
Adoption of the triennial 2025 building standards update, including re-adoption of local amendments and Reach Codes would support the following Council-adopted goals:
• Goal 2: “Improve and steward City infrastructure, streets, and facilities;” and • Goal 4: “Pursue climate change adaptation and mitigation.” FISCAL IMPACT:
The Fiscal Year 2025-2026 adopted budget included $15,000 for costs associated with the 2025 California Building Code update. Staff estimate that the budgeted amount should be sufficient for analysis and adoption given the limitations imposed by AB 130. Although there will likely be remaining budget, Council direction to analyze additional Reach Codes has the potential to incur additional costs that were not anticipated in the adopted budget. Accordingly, staff will need to prepare an updated fiscal impact analysis once City Council provides direction to the City Manager on the extent of Reach Code analysis that is desired, if any.
ORIGINATED BY:
Community Development Department
ATTACHMENT LIST: