Chapter 2
BUILDING CODE*
Sections:
8-2.01 Adoption of technical provisions of the California Building Code.
8-2.02 Chapter 9 (Fire Protection) of the California Building Code—Findings and amendments.
* Chapter 2 entitled “Building Moving” repealed by Ordinance No. 63 C-M, effective July 11, 1963; Ordinance No. 63 C-M repealed by Ordinance No. 114 C-M, effective March 10, 1966.
Chapter 2 entitled “Moving of Buildings” added by Ordinance No. 114 C-M, effective March 10, 1966, repealed in its entirety by Ordinance No. 1227-07 (CM), effective January 1, 2008. A new Chapter 2 entitled “Building Code” is added by Ordinance No. 1228-07 (CM), effective January 1, 2008.
Chapter 2 entitled “Building Code,” consisting of Sections 8-2.01 through 8-2.11, codified from Ordinance No. 1228-07 (CM), eff. January 1, 2008, repealed and replaced by Ordinance No. 1269-10 (CM), eff. January 1, 2011.
Chapter 2, consisting of Sections 8-2.01 through 8-2.06, codified from Ordinance No. 1269-10 (CM), effective January 1, 2011, was repealed and replaced by Ordinance No. 1297-13 (CM), effective January 1, 2014.
Chapter 2, consisting of Sections 8-2.01 through 8-2.05, codified from Ordinance No. 1297-13 (CM), effective January 1, 2014, was repealed and replaced by Ordinance No. 1341-16 (CM), effective January 1, 2017.
8-2.01 Adoption of technical provisions of the California Building Code.
(a) Except as provided herein the 2022 California Building Code (Part 2 of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations) is adopted as the Building Code of the City of Watsonville.
(b) The following provisions are rejected and not adopted:
(1) CBC Chapter 1, Scope and Administration;
(2) CBC Appendix A, Employee Qualifications;
(3) CBC Appendix B, Board of Appeals;
(4) CBC Appendix D, Fire Districts;
(5) CBC Appendix F, Rodent Proofing;
(6) CBC Appendix G, Flood Resistant Construction;
(7) CBC Appendix H, Signs;
(8) CBC Appendix I, Patio Covers;
(9) CBC Appendix K, Group R-3 and Group R-3.1 Occupancies Protected by the Facilities of the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan;
(10) CBC Appendix L, Earthquake Recording Instrumentation;
(11) CBC Appendix M, Tsunami-Generated Flood Hazard;
(12) CBC Chapter 34A, Existing Structures.
(c) The following local amendments are hereby specifically adopted:
(1) CBC Appendix C, Group U Agricultural Buildings;
(2) CBC Appendix J, Grading.
(§ 1, Ord. 1341-16 (CM), eff. January 1, 2017, as amended by § 1, Ord. 1398-19 (CM), eff. January 1, 2020, § 1, Ord. 1445-22 (CM), eff. November 24, 2022)
8-2.02 Chapter 9 (Fire Protection) of the California Building Code—Findings and amendments.
(a) Findings. The amendments are reasonably necessary because of the following local geological, topographical and climatic conditions:
(1) The City of Watsonville is within a very active seismic area. Severe seismic action could disrupt communications, damage gas mains, cause extensive electrical hazards, and place extreme demands on the limited and widely dispersed resources of the Fire Department resulting in failure to meet the fire and life safety needs of the community;
(2) The local geographic, topographic and climatic conditions pose an increased hazard in the acceleration, spread, magnitude, and severity of potential fires in the City of Watsonville, and may cause a delayed fire response time, allowing further growth of the fire;
(3) This section adopts the latest standards currently listed by the State of California Fire Marshal’s Office for automatic fire protection systems and includes references to the amendments to the standards made in the California Fire Code;
(4) The type of automatic fire sprinkler systems set forth in the amendment is a more restrictive standard which will better prevent fire damage which can result from local conditions.
(b) Amendments—Sections 903.1 through 903.2.10.1. Sections 903.1 through 903.2.10.1 are not adopted. Instead the City shall apply Chapter 9 of the City Fire Code.
(§ 1, Ord. 1341-16 (CM), eff. January 1, 2017)
8-2.03 Chapter 15 (Roof Assemblies and Rooftop Structures) of the California Building Code—Findings and amendments.
(a) Findings. The amendments set forth in this section are reasonably necessary because of the following local geological, topographical and climatic conditions:
(1) Local Geological Conditions. The City of Watsonville is located in the Monterey Bay region and densely populated and/or located in area of high seismic activities. The Zayante-Vergeles fault runs through portions of the City of Watsonville and the San Andreas fault is ten (10) kilometers from Watsonville. Both of these faults continue to be active and are capable of producing major earthquakes. Recent earthquake activity, including the 1989 Loma Prieta and the 1994 Northridge earthquakes, have indicated the lack of adequate design and detailing as contributing factors to damages that reduce the protection of building occupants.
(2) Local Geographic Conditions. The City of Watsonville is located in the Monterey Bay region and densely populated and located with a variety of wildlife interfaces within and on its boundary. This raises the potential of fire spread into the densely populated areas during a significant fire event. The amendment is necessary to mitigate the potential of increased fire hazard acceleration, spread, magnitude, and severity of fires in the City of Watsonville, and place extreme demands on the limited and widely dispersed resources of the Fire Department.
(b) Amendments.
(1) Section 1505.1.
1505.1 General. Roof assemblies shall be divided into the classes defined below. Class A, B and C roof assemblies and roof coverings required to be listed by this section shall be tested in accordance with ASTM E 108 or UL 790. In addition, fire-retardant-treated wood roof coverings shall be tested in accordance with ASTM D 2898. The minimum roof coverings installed on buildings shall be Class B Roof Assemblies or greater based on the type of construction of the building.
(2) Section 1505.1.3.
1505.1.3 Roof coverings within all other areas. The entire roof covering of every existing structure where more than 50% percent of the total roof area is replaced within any one-year period, the entire roof covering of every new structure, and any roof covering applied in the alteration, repairs or replacement of the roof of existing structures, shall be a fire-retardant roof covering that is at least a Class B.
(§ 1, Ord. 1341-16 (CM), eff. January 1, 2017)
8-2.04 Chapter 17 (Structural Tests and Special Inspections) of the California Building Code—Findings and amendments.
(a) Findings are reasonably necessary because of the following local geological, topographical and climatic conditions:
(1) Local Geological Conditions. The City of Watsonville is located in the Monterey Bay region and densely populated and/or located in area of high seismic activities. The Zayante-Vergeles fault runs through portions of the City of Watsonville and the San Andreas fault is ten (10) kilometers from Watsonville. Both of these faults continue to be active and are capable of producing major earthquakes. Recent earthquake activity, including the 1989 Loma Prieta and the 1994 Northridge earthquakes, have indicated the lack of adequate design and detailing as contributing factors to damages that reduce the protection of building occupants.
(2) Results from studies after the 1994 Northridge earthquake indicated that a lot of the damages were attributed to lack of quality control during construction. The proposed amendment improves quality control during construction and therefore needs to be incorporated into the code.
(3) The proposed amendment modifies the type of exceptions from requiring special inspection for isolated spread concrete footings of buildings three (3) stories or less above grade plane. This proposed amendment is a continuation of an amendment adopted during the previous code adoption cycle.
(b) Amendments.
(1) CBC Section 1705.3, Exception 1.
1705.3 Concrete Construction.
The special inspections and verifications for concrete construction shall be as required by this section and Table 1705.3.
Exceptions: Special inspection shall not be required for:
(1) Isolated spread concrete footings of buildings three stories or less in height that are fully supported on earth or rock, where the structural design of the footing is based on a specified compressive strength, f'c, no greater than 2,500 pounds per square inch (psi) (17.2 Mpa).
(§ 1, Ord. 1341-16 (CM), eff. January 1, 2017)