California lawmakers are thinking about a bill that might hit the pause button on updates to state housing standards. Is the building code really to blame for California’s housing mess?
In a rush to speed up post-fire recovery efforts in Los Angeles and address a housing shortage across the state, a potential addition may be on the way to California’s building code: a pause button. Assembly Bill 306 is looking to freeze the building standards for all new housing until at least 2031. These standards cover everything from architecture and layout to electrical wiring, plumbing, energy use, and safety features for fire and earthquakes. Local governments, which often add their own requirements, would also be restricted from doing so in most cases.
Building standards typically evolve to address the state’s most urgent issues. After major earthquakes, new seismic requirements are added. Following deadly fires, home-hardening requirements are put in place. As California prepares for a warmer planet, new green energy mandates are introduced. This proposed change to the code aims to tackle another crisis: affordability.
The bill wouldn’t eliminate any current rules, which are widely regarded as some of the strictest in the country. It would include exceptions, especially for emergency health and safety updates. However, overall, the California building code would remain unchanged for the next several years. Assemblymember Nick Schultz, a new Democrat from Burbank and the bill’s lead author, believes leaving the code as is for a few years is not extreme, especially as homeowners in areas like Altadena and the Palisades rebuild.
Despite Schultz introducing the bill, Speaker Robert Rivas is listed as the second co-author, which may explain why the bill sailed through the Assembly with little opposition. Environmental advocates, renewable energy industry groups, construction unions, structural engineers, and code enforcement officials have voiced their opposition to the bill, seeing it as a drastic shift in how the state regulates buildings, reduces emissions, and prepares for climate change.
The bill represents a new approach to California housing politics. In recent years, lawmakers have focused on making it easier to build new homes by targeting zoning codes. However, some legislators are now looking at a different target for deregulation. Schultz’s freeze is just one of several bills this year that aim to address the complex, often overlooked building code to make housing more affordable.
The building code in California is based on a set of general rules developed by the International Code Council, a nonprofit organization based in Washington D.C. The state then adapts these model codes into its own version through a year-long process involving seven state departments. This process usually receives little attention from the public, except for a few industry stakeholders with a direct interest in building regulations.
Housing developers have expressed support for a potential pause in building code updates, citing the increasing costs associated with keeping up with changes. The bill has sparked a debate on whether freezing the code will truly address the affordability issue in California. Opponents argue that the real cost driver in housing isn’t the code itself. However, supporters believe that freezing the code could lead to cost savings and make housing more affordable.
As the bill moves forward, negotiations are ongoing to allow for potential changes to the code that could reduce the cost of housing. The goal is to strike a balance between safety, efficiency, and affordability in California’s building standards. So, will hitting the pause button on building code updates really solve California’s housing crisis? Only time will tell.
