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Appendix K — GROUP R-3 AND GROUP R-3.1 OCCUPANCIES PROTECTED BY THE FACILITIES OF THE CENTRAL VALLEY FLOOD PROTECTION PLAN

Section K102 — DEFINITIONS

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.

K102.1 General.

The following words and terms shall, for the purposes of this section, have the meanings shown.

AREAS PROTECTED BY THE FACILITIES OF THE CENTRAL VALLEY FLOOD PROTECTION PLAN WHERE FLOOD LEVELS ARE ANTICIPATED TO EXCEED THREE FEET FOR THE 200-YEAR FLOOD EVENT. Geographical areas identified by the state as “Areas Protected by the Facilities of the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan where Flood Levels are Anticipated to Exceed Three Feet for the 200-Year Flood Event” in accor- dance with Health and Safety Code Section 50465. Published data from the California Department of Water Resources can be obtained online at the following website: www.water.ca.gov/ BuildingCodes.

Note: The facilities of the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan are identified in the following counties: Butte, Colusa, Fresno, Glenn, Lake, Madera, Merced, Plumas, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Yolo and Yuba. Determination of addi- tional facilities is ongoing.

CENTRAL VALLEY. Any lands in the bed or along or near the banks of the Sacramento River and the San Joaquin River, and any of their tributaries or connected therewith, or upon any land adjacent thereto, or within any of the overflow basins thereof, or upon any land susceptible to overflow therefrom. The following counties and the incorporated municipalities within these counties, in whole or in part, are in the Central Valley: Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Lake, Lassen, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Modoc, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Benito, San Joaquin, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Tuolumne, Yolo and Yuba. A map that delineates the Central Valley can be obtained online at the following website: www.water.ca.gov/BuildingCodes.

EVACUATION LOCATION. A location no less than one (1) foot (0.30 meter) above the WSEL200 where occupants are expected to congre- gate pending evacuation and from which occupants may be evacuated during conditions of flooding, such as a space within the building that has an exit door or operable window; a deck, balcony, porch, rooftop platform or rooftop area, or combinations thereof.

FACILITIES OF THE CENTRAL VALLEY FLOOD PROTECTION PLAN. The facilities referenced herein include the facilities of State Plan of Flood Control and other flood management facilities in the Central Valley evaluated under the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan, which will be completed in 2012 and updated every 5 years thereafter. The facilities of State Plan of Flood Control include the state and federal flood control works (levees, weirs, channels and other features) of the Sacramento River Flood Control Project described in Water Code Section 8350, and flood control projects in the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River watersheds authorized pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Water Code section 12648) of Chapter 2 of Part 6 of Division 6 for which the Central Valley Flood Protection Board or the Department of Water Resources has provided the assurances of nonfederal cooperation to the United States, and those facilities identified in Water Code Section 8361.

ROUTE TO THE EVACUATION LOCATION. The path through and along which occupants move from the habitable areas of a building or structure that are below the WSEL200 to the evacuation location.

WSEL200. The water surface elevation (WSEL) of the 200-year flood event that is identified by the state when it identifies areas that receive protection from the facilities of the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan.

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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
  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…
    Overview
    1. Section K101 — SCOPE
    2. Section K102 — DEFINITIONS
    3. Section K103 — STRUCTURAL STABILITY
    4. Section K104 — EVACUATION LOCATIONS
    5. Section K105 — SPACE WITHIN THE BUILDING
    6. Section K106 — DECKS AND BALCONIES THAT ARE EVACUATION LOCATIONS
    7. Section K107 — ROOFTOP EVACUATION LOCATIONS
    8. Section K108 — ATTICS THAT ARE EVACUATION LOCATIONS
    9. Section K109 — ALTERNATE MEANS OF PROTECTION
  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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