ENCINITAS — The Encinitas City Council voted to adopt a pair of ordinances that will align the city’s building code with new state standards and expand local energy rules in an effort to minimize fire risk, conserve water and reduce energy consumption.
Cities must adopt state building codes every three years, but may also include local amendments tailored to their specific geography and wildfire risks. Energy and green building codes that exceed state standards are referred to as “reach codes,” providing new construction with a more stringent set of guidelines to help improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
On Sept. 24, the council unanimously approved a pair of ordinances as part of its consent calendar. The new rules require single-family homes to be capable of supporting electric heat pumps and equipped with connections for electric vehicle charging stations.
New single-family homes must also be pre-plumbed for graywater, a requirement that has been in place since 2015. Graywater, as defined by the city, is untreated wastewater from bathtubs, showers, bathroom sinks, clothes washers and laundry tubs that can be reused for subsurface landscape irrigation.
Fire code updates align Encinitas with neighboring jurisdictions on wildfire preparedness and fire safety in new developments. Revisions would add stricter rules for vegetation management in fire hazard zones, fire protection systems in larger buildings, and limits on hazardous fuels, flammable gases and storage tanks.
Encinitas officials said the ordinances advance the goals of the city’s Climate Action Plan by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing renewable energy use, and mitigating fire hazards.
They also act ahead of a new state law, Assembly Bill 130, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed on June 30, aiming “to build more housing, faster, and create strong affordable pathways for every Californian” by limiting local governments’ ability to impose code changes starting Oct. 1 until June 1, 2031.
Under the new law, changes to building codes are only permissible if one of the following conditions is met: the changes were in effect as of Sept. 30; the changes are emergency standards to protect health and safety; the change addresses wildfire vulnerability; or the change relates to previously adopted local general plans aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The city’s proposed building code amendments were first introduced at the Aug. 13 council meeting. At the time, the council directed staff to conduct a further review of AB 130. Mayor Bruce Ehlers said he did not like to operate on a “very crammed schedule” and called the state law “ridiculous.”
At the Aug. 27 meeting, Ryan Lamkin, a sustainability analyst for the city, said that “all of these conditions face legal uncertainty,” but recommended adopting the reach codes before the Oct. 1 deadline as the best course of action.
The codes were read for the first time on Sept. 10 and approved on Sept. 24 following a second reading, which gave residents time to voice concerns. Public comments were largely positive, framing the reach codes as a way to maintain local control.
