CITY OF POMONA
COUNCIL REPORT
December 1, 2025
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Anita D. Scott, City Manager
Submitted By: Betty Donavanik, Development Services Director SUBJECT: PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE INTRODUCTION AND FIRST
READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 4364 AMENDING POMONA CITY CODE ARTICLE I, CHAPTER 74 SECTION 74-1 AND ARTICLE II, SECTION 74-31 ADOPTING THE 2025 EDITION OF THE CALIFORNIA BUILDING STANDARDS CODE AND RELATED MODEL CODES WITH APPENDICES RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the City Council take the following actions:
Open the public hearing and after receiving testimony and public comment, close the public hearing; and Introduce, waive further and give first reading to the following ordinance (Attachment No. 1):
ORDINANCE NO. 4364 – AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF POMONA, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING POMONA CITY CODE ARTICLE I, CHAPTER 74 SECTION 74-1 AND ARTICLE II, SECTION 74-31 ADOPTING THE 2025 EDITION OF THE CALIFORNIA BUILDING STANDARDS CODE AND RELATED MODEL CODES WITH APPENDICES EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The California Building Standards Commission (CBSC) is the regulatory body that is responsible for the review and adoption of building standards to be used throughout the state of California. These regulations are the minimum standard used in order to preserve life, safety, and welfare in the construction, alteration, and repair of the built environment. The CBSC updates these codes every three (3) years. Ordinance No. 4364 provides the required updates to comply with State law (Attachment No. 1).
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact resulting from this action. Also, there are no changes to Building & Safety fees proposed by this action.
PUBLIC NOTICING REQUIREMENTS:
A copy of the public hearing notice was published in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin on November 21, 2025 (Attachment No. 2). Additionally, in November, staff implemented an information campaign to inform the public regarding the impending code changes. Notice of the changes were posted on the City’s website and posted at the Building & Safety Division counter.
PREVIOUS RELATED ACTION:
The Building Code was last updated in December 2021 via Ordinance No. 4326.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT:
This action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to section 15061(b)(3) of the State Guidelines to Implement CEQA in that there is no possibility that the action could cause a significant effect on the environment.
DISCUSSION:
In July of 2025, the CBSC adopted the 2025 edition of the California Building Standards Code, which is based upon a group of codes promulgated by the International Code Council’s (ICC) family of codes, the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). It is this collaboration of codes that make up the California Code of Regulations, Title 24, also known as the California Building Standards Code. The 2025 California Building Standards Code goes into effect on January 1, 2026.
Health & Safety Code Sections 17922 and 17958 mandate that counties and cities adopt an ordinance adopting by reference the California Building Standards Code. However, cities are allowed to make amendments to the California Building Standards Code due to the existence of unique regional and/ or local climatic, topographical or geographical conditions. Findings must be made supporting the amendments and submitted to the California Department of Housing and Community Development for confirmation.
The 2025 California Building Standards Code includes the California Building Code, the California Administrative Code, the California Plumbing Code, the California Mechanical Code, the California Electrical Code, the California Residential Code, the California Fire Code, the California Energy Code, the California State Historical Building Code, the California Existing Building Code, the California Reference Standards Code, the California Green Building Standards Code, the 1997 Uniform Code for Building Conservation and the 1997 Uniform Housing Code. Additionally, the 2024 International Property Maintenance Code is not published by the State, but is recommended to be adopted into Pomona City Code. The accompanying ordinance will bring all of the City’s building and construction regulations into compliance with the latest codes adopted by the CBSC. The benefit of adopting the additional codes is to provide building and fire inspectors/officials and plan examiners with further clarification of the intent and the applicability of the California Building Code when presented with a variety of construction issues.
California Building Standards are applicable to all occupancies throughout California, whether or not the local government takes an affirmative action to adopt those California Building Standards. However, the standards enforced by statute will be without added appendices and amendments. In order to make changes to Building Standards, the local agency must make an express finding that the amendments are necessary due to local climatic, geological, or topographical conditions. These findings must be reported to and accepted by the State. No changes to Building Standards are being recommended for Pomona at this time. There are changes recommended to the Administrative Standards that do not require findings supporting their adoption.
Highlights of significant new code requirements:
Residential & Commercial
Wildland-Urban Interface Code (WUI) – With the 2025 California Code series, the regulations for the Wildland-Urban Interface Code have now been adopted and all wildland-urban interface requirements are now in a stand-alone Part 7 of Title 24. The newly adopted Part 7 utilizes the International Wildland-Urban Interface Code (IWUIC) as its basis and is intended to address the escalating risk of wildfires throughout the state while increasing the resilience of structures and ensuring more sustainable communities in these WUI areas. The adoption of Part 7 was due to a multi-year collaboration between the Office of the State Fire Marshal (SFM), International Code Council (ICC), and California Building Officials (CALBO). Part 7 provides specific requirements for the actual design of buildings, construction methods, and safety performance of new products to be used when building in wildland-urban areas.
Bicycle Parking – Made previously voluntary measures mandatory for newly constructed multifamily buildings, hotels, and motels. Amended to clarify the type of long-term bicycle parking enclosures and anchoring required for hotels and motels.
4.106.4.4.1 Short-Term Bicycle Parking for Multifamily Buildings, Hotels and Motels Provide on-site bicycle parking at a ratio of one (1) parking space for every 10,000 square feet, but not less than two (2) spaces. Short-term bicycle parking shall be located within 200 feet of building entrances, and readily visible to passers-by. Acceptable parking facilities shall be conveniently accessed from the street and may include, but not be limited to:
Permanently anchored bicycle parking devices, racks, or lockers in an unsheltered, open area.
Covered or uncovered enclosures with permanently anchored bicycle parking devices or racks.
4.106.4.4.2 Long-Term Bicycle Parking for Multifamily Buildings Provide on-site bicycle parking at a ratio of one (1) parking space for every two (2) dwelling units. Acceptable parking facilities shall be conveniently accessed from the street and may include, but not be limited to:
Covered, lockable enclosures with permanently anchored bicycle parking devices or racks.
Lockable bicycle storage rooms with permanently anchored bicycle parking devices or racks.
Lockable, weatherproof, permanently anchored bicycle lockers.
4.106.4.4.3 Long-Term Bicycle Parking for Hotel and Motel Buildings Provide one (1) on-site long-term bicycle parking space for every 25,000 square feet, but not less than (2) two. Acceptable parking facilities shall be conveniently accessed from the street and may include, but not be limited to:
Covered, lockable enclosures with permanently anchored bicycle parking devices or racks.
Lockable bicycle storage rooms with permanently anchored bicycle parking devices or racks.
Lockable, weatherproof, permanently anchored bicycle lockers.
Energy Code Updates – Residential
Insulation – Sec. 150.0(c) updates mandatory wall insulation for 2’x4’ walls to minimum R15 (previously R-13) and for 2’x6’ walls to a minimum of R21 (Previously R19).
Commercial
Horizontal Exit Communication Systems: CBC 1026.6 now requires two-way communication systems at horizontal exits, on each side of the horizontal exit that does not have an elevator lobby with a two-way communication system.
Two-way communication, Sec.1026.6 – Where a refuge area does not contain a two-way communication system at an elevator landing or within an area of refuge, a wo-way communication system shall be installed in an approved location in a public.
Automatic Fire Sprinklers – Buildings 420 feet in Height: CBC section 403.3.1.2 was revised to require fire sprinkler systems risers or standpipes be designed to be in dedicated zones to prevent water supply to alternating floors from the same riser.
Buildings more than 420 feet in height- Sec. 403.3.1.2- In buildings more than 420 feet (128 m) in height, not fewer than two standpipes or sprinkler express risers or combination standpipe system risers shall supply automatic sprinkler systems within each vertical water supply zone and located in separate shaft. Each stand pipe or sprinkler express riser or combination standpipe system riser shall supply automatic sprinkler systems on alternating floors within the vertical water supply zone such that two adjacent floor are not supply from the same riser. Each sprinkler system shall hydraulically designed so that when one connection is shut down, the other connection shall be capable of supplying the sprinkler system design demand.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
No new fees or changes to the current building permit fee structures are proposed as part of this building code adoption process. The new codes will be effective January 1, 2026, and any first plan review submitted on or after that date will be required to comply with the new codes. Any previously submitted applications that are currently in the review process will have until July 1, 2026 to pull their building permits, if permits are not pulled by this time they will be required to comply with the new code.
COUNCIL PRIORITIES & GOALS:
This item is consistent with the following Council priorities and goals:
Priority 3: Increased Opportunity and Housing Stability – Goal J: Encourage the development and maintenance of quality housing opportunities for all.
Prepared by:
Agustine Figueroa
Building Official
ATTACHMENT(S):
Attachment No. 1 – Ordinance No. 4364
Attachment No. 2 – Public Notice
Attachment No. 3 – Staff Presentation
2025 Building Code Update – Ordinance No. 4364