Agenda Item #13.9
For Council Meeting of: September 15, 2026
CITY OF SANTA ROSA
CITY COUNCIL
TO: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
FROM: PAUL LOWENTHAL, DIVISION CHIEF FIRE MARSHAL
SUBJECT: RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA ROSA ACKNOWLEDGING RECEIPT OF SB1205 STATE MANDATED REPORTING FOR CALENDAR YEAR 2025 AGENDA ACTION: RESOLUTION
RECOMMENDATION
The Fire Department recommends that the Council, by resolution, acknowledge receipt of the Fire Department’s calendar year 2025 report regarding compliance with the annual inspection requirements of California Health and Safety Code Sections 13146.2 and 13146.3. This item has no impact on current fiscal year budget.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
California Health and Safety Code Section 13146.4 requires the Fire Department to report annually to the City Council regarding its compliance with the annual inspection requirements for specified educational and residential occupancies and requires the Council to acknowledge receipt of the report by resolution or a similar formal document. During calendar year 2025, the Fire Department inspected 41 of 56 identified Group E occupancies (educational and day-care facilities) subject to annual inspection, a compliance rate of 73 percent, and 385 of 771 identified Group R occupancies (residential occupancies—such as apartments, hotels, motels, and care facilities) subject to annual inspection, a compliance rate of 50 percent.
GOAL
This item relates to Council Goal #4 – Foster a Safe, Healthy, and Inclusive Community by supporting compliance with state-mandated fire and life-safety inspection requirements for specified educational and residential occupancies. This item fulfills the City’s annual reporting and acknowledgment requirements under California Health and Safety Code Section 13146.4.
BACKGROUND/PRIOR COUNCIL REVIEW
On December 2, 2016, a fire broke out in a warehouse, known as the Ghost Ship, that had been converted into an artist collective, including dwelling units, in the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland, California. A total of 36 people were killed in the fire, and it became the deadliest in the history of the city. It was also the deadliest building fire in the United States since The Station nightclub fire in 2003 and the deadliest in California since the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The tragedy at Ghost Ship brought national attention and put a spotlight on fire safety laws and inspections in California.
Following heightened public scrutiny of fire-safety inspection practices, the California Legislature enacted Senate Bill 1205 in 2018, adding Health and Safety Code Section 13146.4. The statute requires fire departments to report annually to their administering authorities regarding compliance with specified inspection requirements and requires those authorities to formally acknowledge receipt of the report.
As a result, SB 1205 was adopted on September 27, 2018 and added Section 13146.4 to the California Health and Safety Code to ensure fire departments communicate with their governing authority about their compliance with State mandated safety inspections they are required to conduct on schools, apartments and hotels. Existing State law requires every fire department or district providing fire protection services to inspect every building used as a public or private school annually. This same annual inspection requirement is applicable to hotels, motels, lodging houses and apartment houses.
SB 1205 holds jurisdictional policy makers accountable to make progress on fire prevention resource requests and ensures fire department funding allocations account for the longstanding needs of resource deficient fire prevention bureaus.
ANALYSIS
INSPECTION COMPLIANCE REPORTING:
Educational Group E occupancies are generally those public and private schools used by more than six persons at any one time for educational purposes through the 12th grade.
During calendar year 2025, within the City of Santa Rosa, there were a total of 56 known Group E Occupancies, buildings, structures and/or facilities. In 2025 the Fire Department completed the annual inspection of 41 facilities. This is a compliance rate of 73% for this reporting period.
Residential Group R occupancies, for the purpose of this resolution, are generally those occupancies containing sleeping units and including hotels, motels, apartments (three units or more), etc. as well as other residential occupancies (including several residential care facilities). These residential care facilities have a number of different sub-classifications, and they may contain residents or clients that have a range of needs including those related to custodial care, mobility impairments, cognitive disabilities, etc. The residents may also be non-ambulatory or bedridden.
During calendar year 2025, within the City of Santa Rosa, there were a total of 771 known Group R Occupancies, buildings, structures and/or facilities. In 2025 the Fire Department completed the annual inspection of 385 facilities. This is a compliance rate of 50% for this reporting period.
FISCAL IMPACT
Approval of this action does not have a fiscal impact on the current budget year.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(5), the recommended action is not a “project” subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because acknowledging receipt of an annual compliance report is an organizational and administrative activity that will not result in a direct physical change in the environment or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. In the alternative, the recommended action is exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the action may have a significant effect on the environment.
BOARD/COMMISSION/COMMITTEE REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Not applicable.
NOTIFICATION
Not applicable.
ATTACHMENTS
Resolution
PRESENTER
Kemplen Robbins, Assistant Fire Marshal
INSPECTION-COMPLIANCE REPORTING
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