Anderson Municipal Code Ch. 15.02 Building Code

This chapter shall be known as the city of Anderson building code, and may be cited as such, and is referred to herein as "this code."

(Ord. 752 § 3 (part), 2007)

This code shall be the exclusive source of regulations for all new construction and any alterations, repairs, relocations, or reconstruction of any building or any portion thereof including any electrical, mechanical, gas, plumbing or fire protection equipment installed on any property or used within any building.

(Ord. 752 § 3 (part), 2007)

In the event of any conflict between this code and any law, rule or regulation of the state of California, that requirement which establishes the higher standard of safety shall govern. Failure to comply with such standard of safety shall be a violation of this code.

(Ord. 752 § 3 (part), 2007)

The 2025 California Building Standards Code, Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations, including all parts, appendices, and standards as adopted and amended by the California Building Standards Commission, is hereby adopted by reference and incorporated into this code, except as expressly amended or superseded by the provisions of this chapter.

A copy of the California Building Standards Code is on file in the office of the building official for examination and use by the public.

(Ord. No. 853, §§ 1, 3, 2-21-2023); Ord. No. 871, §§ 1, 3, 2-17-2026

Editor's note— Ord. No. 871, § 1, adopted Feb. 17, 2026, repealed the former § 15.02.020, and § 3 of said ordinance enacted a new § 15.02.020 as set out herein. The former § 15.02.020 pertained to similar subject matter and derived from Ord. No. 853, §§ 1, 3, adopted Feb. 21, 2023.

As provided for in Section 15.02.020, the city adopts Chapter 1 of the 2025 Edition of the California Building Code, based upon the 2025 International Building Code, in its entirety.

(Ord. No. 853, §§ 1, 3, 2-21-2023); Ord. No. 871, §§ 1, 4, 2-17-2026

Editor's note— Ord. No. 871, § 1, adopted Feb. 17, 2026, repealed the former § 15.02.025, and § 4 of said ordinance enacted a new § 15.02.025 as set out herein. The former § 15.02.025 pertained to similar subject matter and derived from 853, §§ 1, 3, adopted Feb. 21, 2023.

The building official is hereby authorized and directed to enforce the provisions of this code. The building official shall have the authority to render interpretations of this code and to adopt policies and procedures in order to clarify the application of its provisions. Such interpretations, policies and procedures shall be in compliance with the intent and purpose of this code. Such policies and procedures shall not have the effect of waiving the requirements specifically provided for in this code.

(Ord. No. 808, §§ 1, 6, 6-6-2017)

(Ord. No. 831, §§ 1, 6, 7-7-2020)

Editor's note— Ord. No. 808, § 1, adopted June 6, 2017, repealed the former § 15.02.030, and § 6 of said ordinance enacted a new § 15.02.030 as set out herein. The former § 15.02.030 pertained to similar subject matter and derived from Ord. No. 784, §§ 1, 5, adopted Jan. 21, 2014.

A. Prior to issuance of a building permit, building permit fees shall be paid in the amounts as set forth in a resolution adopted by the city council.

B. The planning director or his or her designee shall make the determination of value for the calculation of building permit fees either by application of the building valuation data as published by the International Code Council or by the actual cost of construction, whichever is less. Evidence showing the actual cost of construction shall be in the form of a contract or other reliable evidence giving a true account of such costs.

(Ord. 752 § 3 (part), 2007)

A. A plan review fee shall be paid at the time of submittal of building plans for plan check. The plan review fee is separate from, and in addition to, building permit fees set forth in this chapter. The plan review fee shall be sixty-five percent of the building permit fee.

B. When plan review documents are incomplete or changed so as to require additional plan review, an additional plan review fee shall be charged as set forth by resolution of the city council.

(Ord. 752 § 3 (part), 2007)

Any person violating any of the provisions of this code is guilty of a misdemeanor, and each such person is guilty of a separate offense for each and every day or portion thereof during which any violation of this code is committed, continued or permitted, and upon conviction of any such violation, such person shall be punishable as provided in Section 1.20.010 of the Anderson Municipal Code.

(Ord. 752 § 3 (part), 2007)

The provisions of this code are enacted for the public health, safety and welfare and are to be liberally construed to obtain the beneficial purposes thereof as specified in this chapter.

(Ord. 752 § 8, 2007)

The provisions of this code shall not be construed as imposing upon the city of Anderson any liability or responsibility for damage to persons or properties resulting from defective work, nor shall the city of Anderson, or any official, employee or agent thereof, be held as assuming any such liability or responsibility by reason of the review or inspection authorized by the provisions of this code of any permits or certificates issued under this code.

(Ord. 752 § 9, 2007)

A. Expiration of Plan Review.

1. Applications for which no permit is issued within six months following the date of application shall expire by limitation, and plans and other data submitted for review may thereafter be returned to the applicant or destroyed by the building official. The building official may extend the time for action by the applicant for a period not exceeding six months on written request by the applicant showing that circumstances beyond control of the applicant have prevented action from being taken. An application shall not be extended more than once. An application shall not be extended if this code or any other pertinent laws or ordinances have been amended subsequent to the date of application. In order to renew action on an application after expiration, the applicant shall resubmit plans and pay a new plan review fee.

B. Expiration of Permit.

1. Time Period. Every permit issued by the building official under the provisions of the technical codes shall expire by limitation and become null and void if the building or work authorized by such permit is not completed, with a final inspection approval and a certificate of occupancy, where required by this code, within two years from the date of issuance. Any permittee holding an unexpired permit may apply for an extension of a current permit for a one-year extension period. The maximum allowable total permit time period shall not exceed three years.

2. Extensions. Requests for extension on an unexpired permit must be made in writing by the permittee showing that circumstances beyond the control of the permittee have prevented action from being taken. The fee for extension of a non-expired permit shall be as set forth in the fee resolution as approved by city council.

3. Renewal of an Expired Permit. An expired permit may be renewed within thirty days after the expiration date provided that the permittee has acted in good faith to diligently pursue construction prior to permit expiration and pays the appropriate renewal fee. The fee for renewal shall be as set forth in the fee ordinance as approved by the city council. The life of a renewed permit shall be two years, and the time shall start from the same day and month that the permit was originally issued and the year that it is required to be renewed. A renewed permit shall remain subject to the codes in effect at the time of the original permit. All provisions of suspension and abandonment stated above shall apply to renewed permits.

4. Void Permits. Permits which have expired by limitation and which have not obtained valid renewal as set forth in subsection B(3) of this section shall require the issuance of a new building permit and the payment of the plan check and building permit fees applying to new construction at the time of re-issuance.

5. Notices. The building official shall notify the permittee of the expiration date and the time provisions of this chapter by the attachment of a copy of this code section to the permit at the time of issuance. In those cases where the permittee takes no action to apply for a renewal as provided for in this section, the building official, acting thirty days after the date of expiration, shall record a notice of noncompliance with the county recorder. The notice shall identify the property and set forth the fact that the building or work has not had a final inspection approval from the building department and that the owner has been so notified.

When a new permit has been obtained to complete the building or work of the original permit, as allowed under this section, the building official shall record with the county recorder's office and provide to the property owner of record, a notice of cancellation certifying that a new permit has been issued and the notice of non-compliance has been rescinded. This shall be done at the permittee's expense.

(Ord. No. 808, § 7, 6-6-2017; Ord. No. 784, § 6, 1-21-2014)

(Ord. No. 831, §§ 1, 7, 7-7-2020)

A. Definitions. The following words and phrases as used in this section are defined as follows:

"Electronic submittal" means the utilization of one or more of the following:

1. E-mail.

2. The internet.

"Small residential rooftop solar energy system" means all of the following:

1. A solar energy system that is no larger than ten kilowatts alternating current nameplate rating or thirty kilowatts thermal.

2. A solar energy system that conforms to all applicable state fire, structural, electrical, and other building codes as adopted or amended by the city and paragraph (iii) of subdivision (c) of Section 714 of the Civil Code, as such section or subdivision may be amended, re-numbered, or re-designated from time to time.

3. A solar energy system that is installed on a single or duplex family dwelling.

4. A solar panel or module array that does not exceed the maximum legal building height.

"Solar energy system" has the same meaning set forth in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 801.5 of the Civil Code, as such section or subdivision may be amended, renumbered, or re-designated from time to time.

B. Checklist. The Building Official is hereby authorized and directed to develop and adopt a checklist of all requirements with which small rooftop solar energy systems shall comply to be eligible for expedited review. The checklist shall be published on the city's internet website. Permit applicants may submit the permit application and associated documentation to the city's permit center by personal, mailed, or electronic submittal together with any required permit processing and inspection fees. In the case of electronic submittal, the electronic signature of the applicant on all forms, applications and other documentation may be used in lieu of a wet signature.

C. Application. Prior to submitting an application, the applicant shall:

1. Verify to the applicant's reasonable satisfaction through the use of standard engineering evaluation techniques that the support structure for the small residential rooftop solar energy system is stable and adequate to transfer all wind, seismic, and dead and live loads associated with the system to the building foundation; and

2. At the applicant's cost, verify to the applicant's reasonable satisfaction using standard electrical inspection techniques that the existing electrical system including existing line, load, ground and bonding wiring as well as main panel and subpanel sizes are adequately sized, based on the existing electrical system's current use, to carry all new photovoltaic electrical loads.

D. Expedited Review. For a small residential rooftop solar energy system eligible for expedited review, only one inspection shall be required, which shall be done in a timely manner and may include a consolidated inspection by the building official and fire chief. If a small residential rooftop solar energy system fails inspection, a subsequent inspection is authorized; however the subsequent inspection need not conform to the requirements of this subsection.

E. Application. An application that satisfies the information requirements in the checklist, as determined by the building official, shall be deemed complete. Upon receipt of an incomplete application, the building official shall issue a written correction notice detailing all deficiencies in the application and any additional information required to be eligible for expedited permit issuance.

F. Permit Issuance. Upon confirmation by the building official of the application and supporting documentation being complete and meeting the requirements of the checklist, the building official shall administratively approve the application and issue all required permits. Such approval does not authorize an applicant to connect the small residential rooftop energy system to the Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) electricity grid. The applicant is responsible for obtaining such approval or permission from PG&E.

(Ord. No. 792, § 1, 9-15-2015)