Photos of projects plan checked or inspected by Willdan

News for California Building Departments
Issue 7, July - September 2005

Index to all issues of The Willdan Letter

Important Dates

July 19 and Aug. 1, 2005	Building Standards Commission public hearing. Watch their website for an agenda.	www.bsc.ca.gov/cal_evnt.html
Aug. 1, 2005	The 2004 California Electrical Code based on the 2002 National Electrical Code becomes effective and enforceable by local government. See training information herein. The new code may be purchased from the ICC online store, various book stores that carry technical books or from its publisher: BNi Publications, Inc.
Sep. 18-21, 2005	International Association of Electrical Inspectors, Western Section Meeting, Hot Springs, AZ	See www.iaei.org for details.
Sep. 25-29, 2005	IAPMO 77th Annual Conference, Albuquerque, NM.	See www.iapmo.org for details.
Sep. 25 – Oct. 2, 2005	ICC Annual Conference, Detroit, MI	See www.iccsafe.org for details.
Oct. 1, 2005	The 2005 California Energy Standards (Title 24 Part 6) become effective.	See the Energy Commission's website for the regulations and training information.
Oct. 3-7, 2005	CALBO CTI Education Week, Concord, CA
Oct. 24-28, 2005	CALBO CTI Education Week, Ontario, CA
Nov. 15-17, 2005	CALBO CTI Education Week, Modesto, CA

What's Up With The State?

On May 18, 2005, the Building Standards Commission approved a proposal by the Department of Housing and Community Development for emergency building standards needed to implement SB 1025 of 2003 (Chapter 642 of 2003) requiring accessibility in 10% of new multistory dwelling units within covered multifamily dwellings without elevators. The emergency regulations amend and add to the provisions in Chapter 11A of the California Building Code (Title 24 Part 2, Volume 1) and became effective and enforceable on July 1, 2005, the operative date of SB 1025 of 2003. A copy of the regulations may be obtained at HCD's website.
Also on May 18, the Commission approved Wildland-Urban Interface emergency building standards as presented by the Office of the State Fire Marshal. This action adds a new chapter, Chapter 7A, to the California Building Code. Effective December 1, 2005, minimum performance and prescriptive measures necessary to increase the ability of a building to resist the intrusion of flame or burning embers will be required with enforcement by the local fire and building departments. See either the Building Standard Commission website or the State Fire Marshal website for the new standards.
The 2004 Code Adoption Cycle that began on August 2, 2004, is still in process with several amendments and model code adoptions proposed. August 1, 2005 is the last day to submit written comments to the Building Standards Commission. A public hearing date has not been announced. Watch the BSC website for an agenda. The text of the proposals, that includes a rewrite of CBC Chapter 11A, adoption of the 2003 UPC and UMC, and several amendments to the CBC and CFC, is also available at the BSC website.
Joe Desmond has been appointed chairman of the Energy Commission. For the past year, he has served as Deputy Secretary for energy at the Resources Agency. Prior to that, he was president and chief executive officer of Infotility, Inc., an energy consulting and software development firm for four years.
David Thorman, a California licensed architect, has been appointed to the position of State Architect in charge of the Division of the State Architect. He most recently served as a project executive for the Hallmark Group, Inc.

2005 Legislation of Interest to Building Departments

SB 1, known as the Million Solar Roofs Initiative, was amended for the fifth time on June 23, 2005. If enacted will require the Energy Commission to establish programs to encourage solar energy producing systems and require sellers of production homes to offer solar energy systems beginning in 2010.

SB 40, if enacted as amended for the fourth time on June 21, 2005, will enact new enforcement means to address violations in mobile home parks, including the appointment of a receiver and a means for residents to petition for action by the enforcement agency, and to file the petition with the courts if the enforcement agency does not act on the petition.

AB 304, if enacted as amended for the fourth time on June 13, 2005, will encourage local standards for seismic retrofitting of multistory wood frame residential structures with open or soft ground floor wall lines.

SB 198, if enacted as amended for the sixth time on June 30, 2005, will authorize HCD to establish a new regulatory program requiring contractors who perform manufactured home installations to become certified for such installations. HCD and the local enforcement agency will be granted authority to issue citations with monetary fines when certified installation contractors fail to comply with applicable installation regulations in CCR Title 25, Chapter 2.

AB 371, if enacted as amended on June 23, 2005, will require the Department of Water Resources, on or before July 1, 2006, in consultation with the State Department of Health Services, to adopt and submit to the California Building Standards Commission a state version of Appendix J of the Uniform Plumbing Code to provide design standards to safely plumb buildings with both potable and recycled water systems. The bill would require the Department of Housing and Community Development to submit to the commission, on or before July 1, 2006, an amendment to that state version of UPC Appendix J, to remove the skull and crossbones symbol for recycled water.

Other California bills to watch include: AB20 amending civil penalties for accessibility violations; AB769 proposing that owners of rental housing who fail to correct substandard conditions may be ordered to complete related educational courses in addition to other remedies.

2005 Energy Code training dates and location information is available on the Education page on CALBO's website and at the California Energy Commission's website.

Need staff training on state laws and Title 24 regarding residential construction? Find Housing Construction Codes-A Handbook for Local Government, available free at HCD's website.

Did You Know?

Did you ever wonder how emergency state regulation adoptions differ from normally adopted state regulations? California Government Code Section 11346.1 authorizes the adoption of emergency regulations by state agencies within the scope of their authority when such agency determines there is a need for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety or general welfare. In the case of regulations that are building standards for placement into Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations, Health and Safety Code sections 18937 and 18938 providesadditional guidance for the adopting state agency and the Building Standards Commission.

In short, the process is different in that the regulations may be put in effect before the public review period and hearing. In the normal process, the public review period and hearing occur before adoption. The state agency proposing emergency building standards must develop the regulatory language and a finding of emergency and a statement of reasons justifying the action and regulatory language. The Commission holds a hearing for the purpose of assessing the completeness of the emergency filing. If approved, the regulations may become effective immediately or at some specified date. Thereafter, the Commission must hold a public review period and hearing to consider the regulatory language and if such should be formally adopted into the code. The process following the emergency adoption must be completed within 120 calendar days or the emergency regulations expire. Read the referenced state laws.