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Seventeen proposed local building efficiency ordinances from 15 California jurisdictions are still awaiting review by the California Building Standards Commission. The commission says the proposals involve complex amendments and remain under review; local officials and advocates say the delays are holding up climate and pollution reduction efforts.
Seventeen proposed building efficiency ordinances from 15 California jurisdictions are awaiting review by the California Building Standards Commission, delaying local rules intended to reduce building emissions. The proposals have been pending for months, and some jurisdictions have waited nearly a year, according to Canary Media; the commission says the amendments are complex and remain under review.
The ordinances, known as reach codes, set local building standards that go beyond California’s state energy efficiency requirements. Since a statewide pause on building code updates took effect on Oct. 1, 2025, 21 cities and counties have passed ordinances using an exemption in Assembly Bill 130. The law allows certain local updates aligned with existing climate goals, while requiring that rules permit mixed-fuel construction rather than banning fossil fuel use outright.
The pending proposals include measures from Alameda, Glendale, Marin County, Palo Alto and San Luis Obispo. Fourteen local governments have adopted rules encouraging households to replace failed one-way air conditioners with heat pumps that provide both heating and cooling. The Building Standards Commission must approve qualifying ordinances before they go to the California Energy Commission for its review, according to the report.
The commission said it had approved seven reach codes over the past year. Of about 500 ordinances it received during that period, it processed 440, the agency said. It described the 17 pending proposals as containing “more complex amendments” that are still under review and said it hoped to begin issuing response letters soon. The report did not provide a date by which the commission expects to complete the pending reviews.
Local Climate Rules on Hold
The review delay affects local governments seeking to put building emissions policies into effect. Buildings account for about a quarter of California’s planet-warming emissions, according to the source report, and the state aims to cut overall emissions 40 percent below 1990 levels by the end of this decade. Delayed local standards could limit one route cities use to pursue those targets and reduce pollution from gas appliances.
The effects may extend beyond jurisdictions with pending proposals. Colleen Corrigan of the San Francisco Bay Area Urban Planning Research Association said some local governments are considering code changes but have paused their own processes because of uncertainty around the review delays. That is an account from an advocate working with local governments; the report does not quantify how many jurisdictions have paused work or measure the resulting emissions impact.
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AB 130’s Local Exemption
California enacted AB 130 as part of an effort to address the affordable housing crisis and ease development. The law established a six-year pause on updates to state and local building codes, but included a limited exemption for local governments seeking to adopt certain rules that support previously established climate goals. The report says those goals can be included in state-mandated general plans.
Local officials and advocates argue that their proposed reach codes meet the exemption’s requirements. The rules can encourage all-electric appliances, but must allow mixed-fuel construction. That condition is relevant to a 2023 federal appeals court decision involving Berkeley’s gas hookup ban: three Ninth Circuit judges ruled that the city’s ordinance conflicted with federal appliance energy-efficiency law. The reach codes described in the report are subject to the state exemption review and are not presented as equivalent bans.
Anthony Eulo, a senior manager at public agency Silicon Valley Clean Energy, said commission reviews previously took days rather than months. The commission’s current review also requires it to assess whether each ordinance meets AB 130’s exemption criteria, which the report describes as complex.
“The 17 pending ordinances “contain more complex amendments and are still under review.””
— California Building Standards Commission
Approval Dates Remain Unknown
The commission has not announced when it will decide the 17 pending ordinances or provided a schedule for issuing response letters. It is also unclear which proposals may be approved, returned for changes or found ineligible for the AB 130 exemption. The source report says Alameda responded to questions from the commission in February but had not received a decision; it does not give the submission or response dates for every jurisdiction.
Local advocates say the proposals qualify for the exemption, while the commission says the pending amendments require complex review. The source material does not include final determinations on those disputed assessments or a complete account of the commission’s questions and responses for all 15 jurisdictions.
Commission Response Letters Expected
The California Building Standards Commission said it hopes to begin issuing response letters soon. Those letters should clarify whether the pending proposals satisfy AB 130’s exemption requirements and what, if anything, jurisdictions need to change. A commission approval would be followed by review from the California Energy Commission before the codes can be implemented, according to the report.
Until the agencies issue decisions, local governments with pending proposals will have to wait for clarity on whether and when their rules can take effect. The report provides no firm deadline for the next commission action.
Key Questions
How many local building ordinances are awaiting review?
Seventeen proposed ordinances from 15 California jurisdictions were pending before the California Building Standards Commission, according to the report.
What are reach codes?
Reach codes are local building standards that go beyond California’s state energy efficiency requirements. The proposals described in the report encourage lower-emission buildings and appliances.
Why does AB 130 affect these ordinances?
AB 130 paused many building code updates for six years but created a limited exemption for certain local rules aligned with existing climate goals. Local governments must obtain state approval to use that exemption.
When will the pending codes be decided?
The commission said it hopes to begin issuing response letters soon, but it has not provided a schedule or decision date for the 17 pending ordinances.
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