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Appendix D — FIRE DISTRICTS

Section D101 — GENERAL

2025 California Building Code (Title 24, Part 2) · 2025 edition · updated 2026-07-27 · California

Italicized text is a California amendment to the model code, as printed in the official publication.

D101.1 Scope.

The fire district shall include such territory or portion as outlined in an ordinance or law entitled “An Ordinance (Resolution) Creating and Establishing a Fire District.” Wherever, in such ordinance creating and establishing a fire district, reference is made to the fire district, it shall be construed to mean the fire district designated and referred to in this appendix.

D101.1.1 Mapping. The fire district complying with the provisions of Section D101.1 shall be shown on a map that shall be available to the public.

D101.2 Establishment of area.

For the purpose of this code, the fire district shall include that territory or area as described in Sections D101.2.1 through D101.2.3.

D101.2.1 Adjoining blocks. Two or more adjoining blocks, exclusive of intervening streets, where not less than 50 percent of the ground area is built upon and more than 50 percent of the built-on area is devoted to hotels and motels of Group R-1; Group B occupancies; theaters, nightclubs, restaurants of Group A-1 and A-2 occupancies; garages, express and freight depots, warehouses and storage buildings used for the storage of finished products (not located with and forming a part of a manufactured or industrial plant); or Group S occupancy. Where the average height of a building is two and one-half stories or more, a block should be considered if the ground area built upon is not less than 40 percent.

D101.2.2 Buffer zone. Where four contiguous blocks or more comprise a fire district, there shall be a buffer zone of 200 feet (60 960 mm) around the perimeter of such district. Streets, rights-of-way and other open spaces not subject to building construction can be included in the 200- foot (60 960 mm) buffer zone.

D101.2.3 Developed blocks. Where blocks adjacent to the fire district have developed to the extent that not less than 25 percent of the ground area is built upon and 40 percent or more of the built-on area is devoted to the occupancies specified in Section D101.2.1, they can be considered for inclusion in the fire district, and can form all or a portion of the 200-foot (60 960 mm) buffer zone required in Section D101.2.2.

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▸ Contents — 2025 California Building Code (Title 24, Part 2)
2025 California Building Code (Title 24, Part 2)
  1. Chapter 1 — ADMINISTRATION
  2. Chapter 2 — DEFINITIONS
  3. Chapter 3 — OCCUPANCY CLASSIFICATION AND USE
  4. Chapter 4 — SPECIAL DETAILED REQUIREMENTS BASED ON OCCUPANCY A…
  5. Chapter 5 — GENERAL BUILDING HEIGHTS AND AREAS
  6. Chapter 6 — TYPES OF CONSTRUCTION
  7. Chapter 7 — FIRE AND SMOKE PROTECTION FEATURES
  8. Chapter 7A — MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION METHODS FOR EXTERIOR W…
  9. Chapter 8 — INTERIOR FINISHES
  10. Chapter 9 — FIRE PROTECTION AND LIFE SAFETY SYSTEMS
  11. Chapter 10 — MEANS OF EGRESS
  12. Chapter 11 — RESERVED
  13. Chapter 11A — HOUSING ACCESSIBILITY
  14. Chapter 11B — ACCESSIBILITY TO PUBLIC BUILDINGS, PUBLIC ACCOMM…
  15. Chapter 12 — INTERIOR ENVIRONMENT
  16. Chapter 13 — ENERGY EFFICIENCY
  17. Chapter 14 — EXTERIOR WALLS
  18. Chapter 15 — ROOF ASSEMBLIES AND ROOFTOP STRUCTURES
  19. Chapter 16 — STRUCTURAL DESIGN
  20. Chapter 16A — STRUCTURAL DESIGN
  21. Chapter 17 — SPECIAL INSPECTIONS AND TESTS
  22. Chapter 17A — SPECIAL INSPECTIONS AND TESTS
  23. Chapter 18 — SOILS AND FOUNDATIONS
  24. Chapter 18A — SOILS AND FOUNDATIONS
  25. Chapter 19 — CONCRETE
  26. Chapter 19A — CONCRETE
  27. Chapter 20 — ALUMINUM
  28. Chapter 21 — MASONRY
  29. Chapter 21A — MASONRY
  30. Chapter 22 — STEEL
  31. Chapter 22A — STEEL
  32. Chapter 23 — WOOD
  33. Chapter 24 — GLASS AND GLAZING
  34. Chapter 25 — GYPSUM PANEL PRODUCTS AND PLASTER
  35. Chapter 26 — PLASTIC
  36. Chapter 27 — ELECTRICAL
  37. Chapter 28 — MECHANICAL SYSTEMS
  38. Chapter 29 — PLUMBING SYSTEMS
  39. Chapter 30 — ELEVATORS AND CONVEYING SYSTEMS
  40. Chapter 31 — SPECIAL CONSTRUCTION
  41. Chapter 31A — SYSTEMS FOR WINDOW CLEANING OR EXTERIOR BUILDING…
  42. Chapter 31B — PUBLIC POOLS
  43. Chapter 31C — RADIATION
  44. Chapter 31D — FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS
  45. Chapter 31F — MARINE OIL TERMINALS
  46. Chapter 32 — ENCROACHMENTS INTO THE PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY
  47. Chapter 33 — SAFEGUARDS DURING CONSTRUCTION
  48. Chapter 34 — RESERVED
  49. Chapter 35 — REFERENCED STANDARDS
  50. Appendix A — EMPLOYEE QUALIFICATIONS
  51. Appendix B — BOARD OF APPEALS
  52. Appendix C — GROUP U—AGRICULTURAL BUILDINGS
  53. ▸ Appendix D — FIRE DISTRICTS
    Overview
    1. Section D101 — GENERAL
    2. Section D102 — BUILDING RESTRICTIONS
    3. Section D103 — CHANGES TO BUILDINGS
    4. Section D104 — BUILDINGS LOCATED PARTIALLY IN THE FIRE DISTRICT
    5. Section D105 — EXCEPTIONS TO RESTRICTIONS IN FIRE DISTRICT
    6. Section D106 — REFERENCED STANDARDS
  54. Appendix E — RESERVED
  55. Appendix F — RODENTPROOFING
  56. Appendix G — FLOOD-RESISTANT CONSTRUCTION
  57. Appendix H — SIGNS
  58. Appendix I — PATIO COVERS
  59. Appendix J — GRADING
  60. Appendix K — GROUP R-3 AND GROUP R-3.1 OCCUPANCIES PROTECTED B…
  61. Appendix L — EARTHQUAKE RECORDING INSTRUMENTATION
  62. Appendix M — TSUNAMI-GENERATED FLOOD HAZARDS
  63. Appendix N — REPLICABLE BUILDINGS
  64. Appendix O — PERFORMANCE-BASED APPLICATION
  65. Appendix P — SLEEPING LOFTS
  66. Appendix Q — EMERGENCY HOUSING

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