REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Public Hearing: Adoption of Ordinance No. 2009 Amending Chapter 15.60 of the Santa Clara City Code ("Santa Clara Municipal Fire and Environmental Code") to Adopt the 2019 California Fire Code, as Amended
Report
BACKGROUND
At the November 5, 2019 Council meeting, proposed Ordinance No. 2009 was introduced and passed for the purpose of publication. Pursuant to City Charter Sections 808 and 812 and Government Code Section 50022.3, applicable to adoption of codes by reference, a Summary and Notice of a Public Hearing for Ordinance No. 2009 was published twice by The Weekly on November 6, 2019 and November 13, 2019, and copies were posted in three public places and made available for public inspection at the City Clerk's Office. The Ordinance now comes to Council for final adoption.
DISCUSSION
The International Fire Code (IFC) is a model fire code that regulates minimum fire and life safety requirements for new and existing buildings, facilities, storage and processes. In California, the California Building Standards Commission adopts the IFC with new statewide amendments every three years. This adopted code is known as the California Fire Code (CFC) and is found in Part 9 of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations. Title 24 is commonly referred to as the California Building Standards Code. The State of California published the CFC on July 1, 2019, with an effective date of January 1st, 2020. If a City wishes to adopt the CFC with amendments, then action must be taken to make certain findings, and adopt the code amendments, prior to January 1st. The City made the required factual findings by Resolution at the November 5, 2019, meeting.
All Santa Clara County Fire Departments, through the Santa Clara County Fire Marshal's Fire Code Work Group, (a subcommittee of the Santa Clara County Fire Chiefs' Association), have worked cooperatively to develop the proposed amendments to the CFC, in order to provide regulatory consis...
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