Building & Safety Division

Construction Inside of a BuildingThe Building Division is responsible for ensuring that all new and remodeled construction follows California Building Codes (CBC) and City ordinances, meeting all the following requirements:

  • Fire
  • Health
  • Life
  • Safety
  • Structural

The Division ensures this through the process of plan review and inspection services.


New 2022 Building Codes to Take Effect on January 1, 2023

Every three years, the State of California Building Standards Commission adopts new building and fire codes as the governing standards to regulate construction projects. These triennial updates are done in order to implement any improved life-safety standards as new scientific and technical evidence is developed.


2022 Building Energy Efficiency Standards

Single-Family What’s New for 2022 Summary 2022 Building Energy Efficiency Standards

The most significant change in the 2022 Building Energy Efficiency Standards (Energy Code) affecting single-family residential buildings is a single fuel prescriptive heat pump baseline for either water heating or space heating, depending on the climate zone. There are significant changes in requirements for indoor air quality (IAQ). There are also new requirements and revisions for additions and alterations. The definition for single-family buildings is updated and all multifamily requirements are moved to Sections 160.0 to 180.4.

Multifamily What’s New for 2022 Summary 2022 Building Energy Efficiency Standards

The 2022 Energy Code reorganizes low-rise (three or fewer habitable stories) and high-rise (four or more habitable stories) multifamily buildings into one building type, updates the multifamily buildings definition, and moves all requirements for multifamily buildings to their own subchapters under Sections 160.0-180.4.

Nonresidential What’s New for 2022 Summary 2022 Building Energy Efficiency Standards 

Under the 2022 Building Energy Efficiency Standards (Energy Code), major changes to nonresidential and hotel/motel building requirements include new photovoltaic (PV) and energy storage system requirements, a prescriptive heat pump space-conditioning baseline for certain climate zones, requirements for DOAS, and the addition of new covered processes, including controlled environment horticulture spaces. A definition for “Multifamily Building” was added, and multifamily buildings now have their own sections, beginning with §160.0.