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<ns0:Id>20250AB__205799INT</ns0:Id>
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<ns0:ActionText>INTRODUCED</ns0:ActionText>
<ns0:ActionDate>2026-02-18</ns0:ActionDate>
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<ns0:SessionYear>2025</ns0:SessionYear>
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<ns0:AuthorText authorType="LEAD_AUTHOR">Introduced by Assembly Member DeMaio</ns0:AuthorText>
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<ns0:Legislator>
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<ns0:Name>DeMaio</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Title> An act to amend Sections 17958.5 and 17958.7 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to building standards. </ns0:Title>
<ns0:RelatingClause>building standards</ns0:RelatingClause>
<ns0:GeneralSubject>
<ns0:Subject>Building standards: natural gas.</ns0:Subject>
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<html:p>Existing law, the California Building Standards Law, establishes the California Building Standards Commission (commission) within the Department of General Services. Existing law requires the commission to approve and adopt building standards and to codify those standards in the California Building Standards Code (code). Existing law, the State Housing Law, establishes statewide construction and occupancy standards for buildings used for human habitation.</html:p>
<html:p>Existing law requires the building standards adopted and submitted by the department for approval by the commission, as specified, to be adopted by reference, with certain exceptions. Existing law authorizes any city or county to make modifications or changes in those building standards that are published in the code, including to green building standards, upon making an express finding that
those modifications or changes are reasonably necessary because of local climatic, geological, or topographical conditions. Existing law requires a copy of those findings, together with the modification or change, to be filed with the commission. Existing law, from June 1, 2025, until June 1, 2031, inclusive, prohibits a city or county from making a modification or change to the building standards described above that are applicable to residential units, unless one of specified conditions are met, and requires the commission to reject a modification or change to any building standard affecting a residential unit and filed by the governing body of a city or county, unless one of those specified conditions are met.</html:p>
<html:p>This bill would prohibit a city or county from making a change or modification to the above-described building standards that prohibits the use of natural gas in a residential unit. The bill would also require the commission to reject a modification or
change to any building standard affecting a residential unit and filed by the governing body of a city or county that prohibits the use of natural gas in that residential unit.</html:p>
<html:p>This bill would include findings that changes proposed by this bill address a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair and, therefore, apply to all cities, including charter cities.</html:p>
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<ns0:Preamble>The people of the State of California do enact as follows:</ns0:Preamble>
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<ns0:Num>SECTION 1.</ns0:Num>
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Section 17958.5 of the
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is amended to read:
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<ns0:Num>17958.5.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>
(a)
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Except as provided in subdivisions (c) and (d) and in Section 17922.6, in adopting the ordinances or regulations pursuant to Section 17958, a city or county may make those changes or modifications in the requirements contained in the provisions published in the California Building Standards Code and the other regulations adopted pursuant to Section 17922, including, but not limited to, green building standards, as it determines, pursuant to the provisions of Section 17958.7, are reasonably necessary because of local climatic, geological, or topographical conditions.
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<html:p>
(b)
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For purposes of this section, a city or county may make reasonably necessary modifications to the requirements, adopted pursuant to Section 17922, including, but not limited to, green building standards, contained in the provisions of the code and regulations on the basis of local conditions.
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<html:p>
(c)
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Commencing October 1, 2025, to June 1, 2031, inclusive, a city or county shall not make a change or modification as described in subdivision (a) or (b), including to green building standards, that is applicable to residential units, unless one of the following conditions is met:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The changes or modifications are substantially equivalent to changes or modifications that were previously filed by the governing body of the city or county and were in effect as of September 30, 2025.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The commission deems
those changes or modifications necessary as emergency standards to protect health and safety.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The changes or modifications relate to home hardening.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(4)
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The building standards relate to home hardening and are proposed for adoption by a local fire prevention district pursuant to Section 13869.7.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(5)
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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 residential construction consistent with federal law while also incentivizing all-electric construction as part of an adopted greenhouse gas emissions reduction strategy.
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<html:p>
(6)
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The changes or modifications are related to administrative practices, are proposed for adoption
during the intervening period pursuant to Section 18942, and exclusively result in any of the following:
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<html:p>
(A)
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Reductions in time for a local agency to issue a postentitlement permit.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(B)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Alterations to a local agency’s postentitlement fee schedule.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(C)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Modernization of, or adoption of, new permitting platforms and software utilized by the local agency.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(D)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Reductions in cost of internal operation for a local agency.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(E)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Establishment, alteration, or removal of local programs related to enforcement of building code violations or complaints alleging building code violations.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(d)
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A city or county shall not make a change or modification as described in subdivision (a) or (b), including to green building standards, that prohibits the use of natural gas in a residential unit.
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<ns0:Num>SEC. 2.</ns0:Num>
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Section 17958.7 of the
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is amended to read:
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<ns0:Num>17958.7.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>
(a)
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Except as provided in subdivisions (c) and (e) and in Section 17922.6, the governing body of a city or county, before making any modifications or changes pursuant to Section 17958.5, shall make an express finding that such modifications or changes are reasonably necessary because of local climatic, geological, or topographical conditions. Such a finding shall be available as a public record. A copy of those findings, together with the modification or change expressly marked and identified to which each finding refers, shall be filed with the California Building Standards Commission. No modification or change shall
become effective or operative for any purpose until the finding and the modification or change have been filed with the California Building Standards Commission.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
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The California Building Standards Commission may reject a modification or change filed by the governing body of a city or county if no finding was submitted.
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<html:p>
(c)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Commencing October 1, 2025, to June 1, 2031, inclusive, the commission shall reject a modification or change to any building standard affecting a residential unit and filed by the governing body of a city or county, unless one of the following conditions is met:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The changes or modifications are substantially equivalent to changes or modifications that were previously filed by the governing body of the city or county and were in effect as of September 30, 2025.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The commission deems those changes or modifications necessary as emergency standards to protect health and safety.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The changes or modifications relate to home hardening.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(4)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The building standards relate to home hardening and are proposed for adoption by a local fire prevention district pursuant to Section 13869.7.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(5)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
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 residential construction consistent with federal law while also incentivizing all-electric construction as part of an adopted greenhouse gas emissions reduction strategy.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(6)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The
changes or modifications are related to administrative practices, are proposed for adoption during the intervening period pursuant to Section 18942, and exclusively result in any of the following:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(A)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Reductions in time for a local agency to issue a postentitlement permit.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(B)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Alterations to a local agency’s postentitlement fee schedule.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(C)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Modernization of, or adoption of, new permitting platforms and software utilized by the local agency.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(D)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Reductions in cost of internal operation for a local agency.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(E)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Establishment, alteration, or removal of local programs related to enforcement of building code violations or complaints alleging building code violations.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(d)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The commission, in determining that a modification or change meets any of the criteria in paragraph (1) to (5), inclusive, of subdivision (c), may rely on a statement by the local agency to that effect.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The changes or modifications made pursuant to paragraph (6) of subdivision (c) may be filed with the commission and shall be reviewed by the commission, in consultation with the Department of Housing and Community Development, within 60 days of receipt, if requested by the local agency.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(e)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The commission shall reject a modification or change to any building standard affecting a residential unit and filed by the governing body of a city or county that prohibits the use of natural gas in that residential
unit.
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<ns0:Num>SEC. 3.</ns0:Num>
<ns0:Content>
<html:p>The Legislature finds and declares that Sections 1 and 2 of this act amending Sections 17958.5 and 17958.7 of the Government Code address a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair as that term is used in Section 5 of Article XI of the California Constitution. Therefore, Sections 1 and 2 of this act apply to all cities, including charter cities.</html:p>
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