AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 19, 2024

AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 26, 2024

AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 24, 2024

AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 1, 2024

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

93

CHAPTER 781

Statutes of 2024

[ Approved by Governor September 27, 2024. Filed with Secretary of State September 27, 2024. ]

Introduced by Senator Limón

February 14, 2024

An act to add Section 13110.3 to the Health and Safety Code, relating to fire safety.

Vote: majority   Appropriation: no   Fiscal committee: yes   Local program: no

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

The California Building Standards Law establishes the California Building Standards Commission within the Department of General Services. Existing law requires the commission to approve and adopt building standards and to codify those standards in the California Building Standards Code, which is required to be published once every 3 years. Existing law requires the State Fire Marshal, before the next triennial edition of the California Building Standards Code adopted after January 1, 2023, to research and develop, and authorizes the State Fire Marshal to propose to the commission, mandatory building standards for fire resistance based on occupancy risk categories in very high, high, and moderate California fire severity zones, as provided.

This bill would require the State Fire Marshal, before the next triennial edition of the California Building Standards Code adopted after January 1, 2025, to propose to the commission updates to the fire standards relating to requirements for lithium-based battery systems, as provided. The bill would require these updates to address the specific environments in which communications utilities are required to deploy the lithium-based battery systems in order to meet specified requirements relating to backup electricity for telecommunications infrastructure, as provided.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section 13110.3 is added to the Health and Safety Code, to read:

13110.3.

The State Fire Marshal shall, before the next triennial edition of the California Building Standards Codes (Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations) adopted after January 1, 2025, propose to the California Building Standards Commission updates to the fire standards described in Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations relating to requirements for those lithium-based battery systems that are compliant with UL 9540 at facilities under the exclusive control of communications utilities in order to support compliance with regulations adopted by the Public Utilities Commission relating to 72-hour backup power requirements pursuant to Section 776.2 of the Public Utilities Code. The updates proposed by the State Fire Marshal pursuant to this section shall address the specific environments in which communications utilities shall deploy lithium-based battery systems in order to meet the requirements implemented pursuant to Section 776.2 of the Public Utilities Code.