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Page 2 of 11 City of Redwood City 1017 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA. 94063 Tel: 650-780-7000 www.redwoodcity.org STRATEGIC PLAN GUIDING PRINCIPLE Public Safety BACKGROUND Building and Fire Codes The fundamental purpose of Building and Fire Codes is to protect public health, safety, and general welfare as they relate to the construction and occupancy of buildings and structures. Codes are updated by the state on a three-year cycle. The City last updated its Building and Fire Codes in October 2022, and these codes went into effect on January 1, 2023. The new 2025 California Building and Fire Codes will become effective on January 1, 2026, and apply to the City whether it is adopted by the City or not. Therefore, if the City wishes to adopt local amendments to the Codes, ordinances containing local amendments must be adopted in a timely manner. AB 130, which became effective on July 1, 2025, restricts local government ability to amend any provisions of the 2025 Residential Building and Fire Codes between October 1, 2025, and June 1, 2031, unless such amendments fall within narrow statutory exceptions. Therefore, to preserve the City’s ability to maintain and update our local residential provisions, staff recommend that the City Council adopt the desired amendments and findings before the October 1 deadline. The Building and Fire Codes support one another; therefore, staff have brought both Codes for concurrent consideration by City Council. On August 20, 2025, the Board of Building Review (BOBR) held a public meeting to review the changes to the Building Codes and Reach Codes. The BOBR meets when required to review updates to the City’s regulatory Building Codes, including suggested local amendments, and to provide recommendations to the City Council pertinent to the adoption of such Codes. In addition to BOBR meeting, City staff held an outreach meeting over Zoom with community members from the development sector on August 14, 2025, to share information on 2025 Building Code updates. As noted, staff recommend adopting the State Codes by reference; therefore, it is necessary to hold public hearings prior to the adoption. The first public hearing is being held on September 8, 2025, to consider introduction of an ordinance adopting the Codes, and the second public hearing will be held on September 29, 2025, for second reading and formal adoption of the ordinance. State law also requires the City to make findings that local amendments to the State-adopted Codes are necessary due to local climatic, geological, and topographical conditions. Amendments may also be made to administrative sections of the Codes without State review. These findings are included in the resolution presented for City Council adoption. After the ordinance and resolution are adopted, they must be submitted to the California Building Standards Commission for review and approval. Reach Codes Reach Codes were adopted in 2022 as local amendments to the Green Building Standards Code (CALGreen), which aim to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by reducing reliance on natural gas and emphasizing building electrification. Building electrification is a key strategy in the City’s Climate Action Plan. 10.B. - Page 2 of 64 242