TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THRU: Jarad Hildenbrand, City Manager
FROM: Sean deMetropolis, Fire Chief
1. Subject
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Introduction and First Reading of an ordinance adopting the 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code and the 2025 California Fire Code, adding Chapter 15.31 and amending Chapter 15.32 of the Orange Municipal Code. Resolution No. 11638 and Ordinance No. 17-25.
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2. Summary
Effective January 1, 2026, the 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code and the 2025 California Fire Code will go into effect and be binding on the City. Any amendments to the 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code and the 2025 California Fire Code must be adopted before January 1 to become effective.
3. Recommended Action
recommendation
1. Adopt Resolution No. 11638. A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Orange setting forth findings with respect to local conditions within the City of Orange justifying modifications and changes to the 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code and the 2025 California Fire Code.
2. Introduce and conduct First Reading of Ordinance No. 17-25. An Ordinance of the City Council of the City of Orange adding Chapter 15.31 of the Orange Municipal Code to add the City of Orange Wildland-Urban Interface Code and repealing and replacing Chapter 15.32 of the Orange Municipal Code to update the City of Orange Fire Code.
3. Set November 12, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. as the date and time for a Public Hearing to consider the Second Reading and adoption of Ordinance No. 17-25.
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4. Fiscal Impact
None.
5. Strategic Plan Goals
Goal 1: Maintain Strong Emergency and Safety Services
6. Discussion and Background
The Orange City Fire Department is responsible for enforcing standards and regulations of the State Fire Marshal. Portions of the State Fire Marshal’s standards are incorporated in the 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code and 2025 California Fire Code. Both of which are based on the 2024 International Wildland-Urban Interface Code and 2024 International Fire Code, respectively. These codes are updated periodically as necessary by the California Building Standards Commission.
Every three years, a new International Fire Code and California Fire Code are published. This year, the International Code Council and California Building Standards Commission have added the International Wildland-Urban Interface Code and the California Wildland-Urban Interface Code. The City is subject to the California Codes, as written, effective January 1, 2026, unless the City adopts amendments to those Codes, by local findings reasonably supporting such amendments. The City must adopt any portion of the International Codes it wishes to follow.
The Fire Prevention Bureau of the Services Section of the Fire Department has reviewed the 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code and recommends adding Chapter 15.31 to the Orange Municipal Code as the “City of Orange Wildland-Urban Interface Code” in a comprehensive and logical manner. Additionally, the Fire Prevention Bureau has reviewed the 2025 California Fire Code and recommends repealing and replacing Chapter 15.32 of the Orange Municipal Code to update the “City of Orange Fire Code” in a comprehensive and logical manner.
The proposed amendments have been drafted to ensure compatibility with the California Codes and local conditions and do not constitute substantive changes from the previous “City of Orange Fire Code” nor a significant departure from the California Codes. Non-administrative changes in the codes are discussed in the attached resolution and ordinance.
State law requires any changes or modifications to the California Wildland-Urban Interface Code and California Fire Code be supported by findings related to local conditions. Resolution No. 11638 contains the appropriate and necessary findings to support the recommended changes to the 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code and 2025 California Fire Code found in Ordinance 17-25.
7. ATTACHMENTS
• Resolution No. 11638
• Ordinance No. 17-25
• Ordinance No. 17-25 (redline)