New State Building Standards Restrict Local Changes Under Last Year’s Assembly Bill 130

The City Council will conduct a public hearing Monday on adopting California’s 2025 Building Standards Code. But the city faces new restrictions on its ability to tailor the rules.

Assembly Bill 130, signed last year, sharply limits Pasadena’s power to amend building standards for residential units. The law prevents new changes unless they’re emergency standards or fall within specific exemptions.

The restriction remains in effect through June 1, 2031, the Department of Planning and Community Development said.

The state Building Standards Commission adopts updated technical codes every three years. Local jurisdictions must enforce these codes for all construction projects filing permit applications on or after Jan. 1, 2026.

Cities can typically amend state regulations to address local concerns such as fire or earthquake hazards. However, AB 130 prohibits the commission from considering, approving or adopting proposals affecting residential units.

The Planning Department is recommending that existing amendments to the California Building Code be carried forward from the previous cycle. No new technical amendments are proposed.

The changes affect building, residential, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, energy, fire and green building standards.

Pasadena’s local amendments primarily address safety in building design related to seismic activity and other hazards. The amendments are necessary because of the city’s climatic, geological and topographical conditions.

Portions of Pasadena lie within Fire Hazard Severity Zones. Previous amendments address enhanced fire prevention and safety protections.

The Public Safety Committee reviewed key code changes Sept. 17 and unanimously supported the adoption process.

A new California Wildland-Urban Interface Code consolidates existing code chapters from the Building, Residential and Fire Codes. The change ensures code updates align as a single source.

The 2025 California Green Building Standards Code includes measures for carbon footprint reduction.

Planning staff are also recommending administrative changes to organize municipal code requirements and align standards between the Building & Safety Division and Fire Department.

The City Council held its first reading of the ordinance on Nov. 3 with unanimous support. Monday’s meeting will include second reading of the ordinance.

The adopted ordinance and local findings must be filed with the California Building Standards Commission for review and acceptance. Local amendments become legal for enforcement only after completing these procedures.