Laguna Beach city officials on Nov. 18 approved the first reading of an ordinance to adopt the 2025 California Building Code with local amendments that prepare the city to implement the state'mandated "Zone 0" ember-resistant defensible-space rules.

Deputy Community Development Director Gabriel Linares told the council that Assembly Bill 3074 ("Zone 0") established requirements for an ember-resistant defensible space five feet from structures in areas designated as very high fire-hazard severity zones. Linares said the state'adopted 2025 building code will take effect Jan. 1, 2026, and local amendments typically follow 30 days after the city's second reading. "Zone 0 was actually a California assembly bill 30 74," Linares said, summarizing the statute's intent and timing for local implementation.

Staff and council members emphasized two practical points for residents: new construction and major remodels will be required to comply with the 2025 code when it becomes effective, and existing homes will be phased in under a state-determined schedule that staff expects to extend over multiple years. Linares told councilors the state will publish final rules and a phase-in approach; local implementation details (for example, when and how existing homes must retrofit) will be developed jointly with the fire department.

Council members asked for clearer outreach to applicants about grandfathering and permit submission deadlines. Planning staff clarified that projects with plan-check submittal before Jan. 1 would be permitted under the 2022 code, while applications submitted after Jan. 1 will need to follow 2025 requirements. Staff recommended and the council approved the first reading and directed staff to continue public outreach and to return with the ordinance for second reading.

What happens next: The council will hold the second reading and the formal public hearing at a subsequent meeting; local amendments will be finalized after that vote, and staff plans additional briefings to help homeowners and builders understand the grandfathering, major-remodel and retrofit timelines.