The Agoura Hills City Council unanimously approved Ordinance 25-480 and accompanying Resolution 25-2119 on Nov. 12, adopting the 2025 California Building Standards Code and the 2024 International Property Maintenance Code with local amendments intended to address the city’s wildfire, seismic and sustainability challenges.

Lucas Quach, the city’s building official, told the council the state updates take effect automatically on Jan. 1, 2026, but local jurisdictions may adopt amendments where reasonably necessary. “The 2025 edition includes 13 volumes covering everything from administrative provisions and building regulation to residential energy and fire safety standards,” Quach said, and staff recommended adoption with findings that the local amendments are needed for Agoura Hills’ climate, geology and topography.

Key local provisions carried forward or added include wildfire hardening standards requiring ignition-resistant materials citywide, voluntary seismic retrofit provisions and a seismic gas shutoff valve requirement, and a strengthened nonresidential electric-vehicle infrastructure standard to CalGreen Tier 1 to align with the city’s climate action goals. Quach said those amendments qualify under the state’s Assembly Bill 130 exemption provisions because they address home-hardening and administrative equivalency.

Councilmembers expressed broad support for maintaining local safeguards where state law allows. Councilmember Deborah Klein Lopez said the amendments help the city remain “a little bit more conservative in some of our standards to accommodate the difficult climate that we live in.” Councilmember Anstead highlighted the strengthened EV infrastructure requirement as an important step.

Councilmember Anderson moved to adopt the ordinance and resolution, and Klein Lopez seconded. The secretary called roll; Anderson, Anstead (Chris Anstead), Klein Lopez (Deborah Klein Lopez), Mayor Pro Tem Wolf and Mayor Sylvester voted aye. The motion passed 5-0.

The ordinances will be filed with the California Building Standards Commission and the updated standards are timed to coincide with the state’s automatic 2026 code effective date. Staff indicated the action preserves local regulatory language where state law permits and implements administrative changes to streamline permitting and enforcement.