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Page 9 of 11 <br />City of Redwood City 1017 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA. 94063 Tel: 650-780-7000 www.redwoodcity.org <br />13 sprinkler system and not applied under NFPA 13D (one- and two-family dwelling units) or NFPA <br />13R systems (low-rise residential buildings). <br />Changes and Deletions for Consistency <br />The Fire Department also recommends eliminating or modifying certain past amendments that have <br />proven excessive or not significantly beneficial to community fire and life safety. These revisions will not <br />reduce the reasonable expectation of safety but will lower construction costs, particularly for residential <br />occupancies. Importantly, these changes will also support consistency across San Mateo County, as the <br />Department participates in an automatic aid system with surrounding jurisdictions. <br />Proposed revisions include: <br />Sec. 12.8 – Delete the local definition of High-Rise Structures, aligning with state law and countywide <br />standards. <br />Sec. 12.15.4 – Reinstate two exceptions previously removed, restoring code-authorized discretionary <br />approval for fire apparatus access modifications when appropriate. <br />Sec. 12.16 – Remove the requirement for a minimum 8-inch fire main diameter. Water flows will <br />instead be determined based on demonstrated system capacity, as validated through hydraulic <br />engineering analysis. <br />Sec. 12.16.1 – Delete the section and restore model code language, increasing hydrant locations with <br />fire department connections consistent with the statewide model. Requirement retained only for <br />high-rise buildings. <br />Sec. 12.17.1 – Remove excessive requirements for pipe types and sizing. Existing standards already <br />permit recognized, laboratory-tested piping materials for residential fire sprinkler systems, and the <br />principles of hydraulic engineering remain unchanged. <br />Sec. 12.18.1 – Delete in its entirety. This section had previously increased water delivery requirements <br />for sprinkler systems in certain sustainable construction types, such as heavy timber buildings. <br />Additional Editorial Updates <br />Minor editorial revisions will also be incorporated throughout the ordinance to align numbering, <br />formatting, and references with the new 2025 California Fire Code. <br />EQUITY IMPACT STATEMENT <br />As outlined in the analysis section and reinforced by the Redwood City Climate Action Plan (CAP), the 2025 <br />California Building Code advances climate goals in alignment with the City’s commitment to reducing <br />greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Updated residential codes apply to new construction and retrofitting <br />will not be required for existing construction, meaning no additional costs are imposed on existing <br />homeowners. Additionally, the CAP proposed the implementation of an Incentive Program Collaboration <br />with Peninsula Clean Energy (PCE) to provide rebates for heat pump water heaters, solar installation, and <br />battery storage. As described in the 2025 Building Code and Redwood City Climate Action Goals <br />subsection, the City encourages community education on these rebates to reduce the cost burden of <br />electrification efforts for homeowners, which can particularly reduce impact on lower income households. <br />10.B. - Page 9 of 64 <br />249