Triennial Construction Code Adoption

Triennial Construction Code Adoption

Every three years, the State of California amends and adopts updates to the International Construction Codes. The City, in turn, adopts the State's updates and any local amendments by ordinance. These then become the governing construction codes for Santa Barbara.

The City must, at a minimum, adopt the provisions of the State Construction Codes. However, this does not limit the authority of a local municipality to establish more restrictive and reasonably necessary differences from the State Construction Code. Local municipalities must file findings for any amendment, addition, or deletion, and those findings must be based on local climatic, topographical, or geological conditions.

The proposed amendments are scheduled for review by the City's Ordinance Committee on October 21, 2025, prior to being forwarded to the City Council for hearings. The proposal will be accessible as part of the Ordinance Committee Agenda, which will be published in advance of the meeting.

Timeline:

• October 21, 2025: Ordinance Committee meeting
• November 18, 2025: Ordinance introduction (City Council)
• December 2, 2025: Ordinance adoption (City Council)

The new code takes effect on January 2, 2026.

Last day to submit a building permit application under the 2022 Codes: Wednesday, December 17, 2025.

Most City administrative offices will be closed beginning December 22, 2025 and reopening Monday, January 5, 2026. Accela Citizen Access (ACA), the City's online permitting portal, will also be inactive and unavailable for permit submittal during this time.

Send questions to [email protected].