CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
99
Introduced by Assembly Member Lowenthal
February 20, 2026
An act to amend Section 16009 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to public safety.
Vote: majority Appropriation: no Fiscal committee: no Local program: no
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST
The Essential Services Buildings Seismic Safety Act of 1986 requires the appropriate enforcement agency, which in the case of state-owned facilities is the Division of the State Architect, to review the design and inspect the construction of essential services buildings or the reconstruction, alteration, or addition to any essential services building, as provided.
This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to these provisions.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 16009 of the Health and Safety Code is amended to read:
16009.
The appropriate enforcement agency which that meets the requirements of Sections 16017 and 16018 shall review the design and inspect the construction of essential services buildings or the reconstruction, alteration, or addition to any essential services building to the extent it deems necessary to ensure that:
(a) When the enforcement agency is a local agency, drawings and specifications comply with the locally adopted editions of the model codes, as defined in Section 18916, the administrative regulations contained in Part 1 (commencing with Section 1-101) of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations, and the regulations contained in Part 2 (commencing with Section 101), except for Chapters 23 to 30, inclusive, and Chapter 47 of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations.
(b) When the enforcement agency is the Office of the State Architect, that drawings and specifications comply with all parts of the State Building Standards Code, as contained in Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations, as adopted by that agency.
(c) For the protection of life and property that the work of construction has been performed in accordance with the approved drawings and specifications and this chapter.