Article V — CALIFORNIA EXISTING BUILDING CODE, AMENDED SECTIONS TO 2025 CALIFORNIA…

101.1 Title [BID]. These regulations, consisting of the California Existing Building Code as adopted and amended by the County, shall be known as the Existing Building Code of the County of Alameda, and shall be cited as such and will be referred to herein as "this code."

101.2.1 Appendices. {See CEBC, and add the following paragraph.}

The following CEBC appendix chapters are adopted by the County as noted:

1. Appendix A Chapter A1, Seismic Strengthening Provisions for Unreinforced Masonry Bearing Wall Buildings — Adopted.

2. Appendix A Chapter A3, Prescriptive Provisions for Seismic Strengthening of Cripple Walls and Sill Plate Anchorage of Light, Wood-Frame Residential Buildings — Adopted as Design Reference.

3. Appendix A Chapter A4, Earthquake Risk Reduction in Wood-Frame Residential Buildings with Soft, Weak or Open Front Walls — Adopted as Design Reference.

101.7 Maintenance [BID][CDA]. Buildings and structures, and parts thereof, shall be maintained in a safe and sanitary condition, as described in Section 101.7.1. Devices or safeguards which are required by this code shall be maintained in conformance with the code edition under which installed. The owner or the owner's designated agent shall be responsible for the maintenance of buildings and structures. The requirements of this chapter shall not provide the basis for removal or abrogation of fire protection and

safety systems and devices in existing structures. To determine compliance with this subsection, the building official shall have the authority to require a building or structure to be re-inspected in accordance with Section 101.7.2.

101.7.1 Substandard buildings [BID] {Added}. Any building or structure, or portion thereof, that is determined to be an unsafe structure or equipment in accordance with AC Section 15.08.150 or AC Ch. 15.24 of this title, or any building or structure, or portion thereof including any dwelling unit, guest room, or suite of rooms, or the premises on which the same is located, in which there exists a condition that endangers the life, limb, health, property, safety, or welfare of the public or the occupants thereof shall be deemed and hereby are declared to be substandard buildings.

101.7.2 Inspection [BID] {Added}. Inspections of existing buildings, structures, and premises for the purpose of verifying compliance with this section shall be performed in accordance with this code and the AC General Ordinance Code.

101.7.3 Abatement of substandard buildings, structures, and premises [BID] {Added}. Buildings or structures, or portions thereof or premises that are determined to be substandard as described in this section are hereby declared to public nuisances, and shall be abated by repair, rehabilitation, demolition, or removal in accordance with this code, AC chapter 15.24 of this title, and the AC General Ordinance Code.

104.2.1 Determination of substantially improved or substantially damaged existing buildings and structures in flood hazard areas [Flood]. For applications for reconstruction, rehabilitation, repair, alteration, addition or other improvement of existing buildings or structures located in flood hazard areas, the building official shall determine where the proposed work constitutes substantial improvement or repair of substantial damage. Where the building official determines that the proposed work constitutes substantial improvement or repair of substantial damage, and where required by this code, the building official shall require the building to meet the requirements of Section 1612 of the California Building Code, AC Section 15.08.300, and AC Chapter 15.40 of this title.

104.2.2.1 through 105.1.2. {See CEBC and AC Sections 15.08.040 through 15.08.150 when applicable.}

105.2 Work exempt from permit [Flood]. {See CEBC, and revise the first paragraph to read as follows.} For existing buildings and structures that are located in a flood hazard area, this provision shall not apply; see AC Section 15.08.300. Exemptions from permit requirements of this code shall not be deemed to grant authorization for any work to be done in any manner in violation of the provisions of this code or any other laws or ordinances of the County. For existing buildings and structures that are not located in a flood hazard area as established in Section 1612.3, permits shall not be required for the following:

105.3 through 106.2.5. {See CEBC and AC Sections 15.08.040 through 15.08.150 when applicable.}

106.2.6 Site plan [Flood][Cln Water]. The construction documents submitted with the application for permit shall be accompanied by a site plan showing to scale the size and location of new construction and existing structures and features on the site, distances from lot lines, the established street grades, any flood hazard areas and associated base flood elevations, and the proposed finish grades; and it shall be drawn in accordance with an accurate boundary line survey. In the case of demolition, the site plan shall show construction to be demolished and the location and size of existing structures and construction that are to remain on the site or plot. The code official is authorized to waive or modify the requirement for a site

plan where the application for permit is for alteration, repair or change of occupancy, provided that the site is not located within a flood hazard area as established in Section 1612.3 of the California Building Code and the proposed alteration adds to or alters less than 2500 sq. ft. of existing impervious surface.

106.3 through 117.4. {See CEBC and AC Sections 15.08.040 through 15.08.150 when applicable.}

(Ord. No. 2025-72, Exh. B, 12-16-25)

{See CEBC, and the following terms and their meanings are added or modified.}

ALTERATION [BID][Cln Water]. Any construction or renovation to an existing structure or to the existing impervious surface of the premises other than a repair or addition. Any construction or renovation that removes or replaces 50 percent or more of the linear length of the walls of the structure (exterior plus interior) and 50 percent or greater of the roof of the structure within a one-year period shall be considered as new construction and shall not be considered an alteration. For the purpose of determining compliance with the stormwater discharge regulations of AC Ch. 13.08 of title 13 of the general ordinance code, any construction or renovation that affects 50 percent or more of the existing impervious surface of the premises shall require that all of the existing impervious surfaces (remaining and replaced) be subject to the regulations of that chapter.

ADDITION. An extension or increase in floor area, number of stories, or height of a building or structure. Any addition that adds more than 100 percent of the floor area of the existing building shall be considered as new construction, subject to the regulations of AC Ch. 15.08.

ALTERATION WITH ADDITION. When construction or renovation and/or additions result in the removal, alteration, modification, replacement or addition of fifty percent or more of the external walls of and/or fifty percent or more of the existing internal structural and/or non-structural framework, independently or in combination thereof within a three (3) year period after date of permit final, the entire building shall be considered new construction. Construction or renovation of the walls includes but is not limited to removal of the sheetrock and/or cladding of that wall, removal or replacement of framing, sistering up of the framing, etc.

CODE OFFICIAL [BID][CDA]. The building official, or other authority designated by him/her, including but not limited to, the planning director, the director of public works, the director of environmental health, the County health officer, or the chief of a fire district, charged with the administration and enforcement of this code.

IMPERVIOUS SURFACE [Cln Water]. A covering of the ground surface where that covering precludes the natural ability of the affected surface and subsurface to absorb and infiltrate rainfall and stormwater run-on and runoff.

SUBSTANDARD BUILDING [BID][CDA]

[HLTH]. See Health and Safety Code Section 17920.3 and Section 101.7.1 and Chapter 15.24 of this code.

(Ord. No. 2025-72, Exh. B, 12-16-25)