Section K109 — ALTERNATE MEANS OF PROTECTION
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.
K109.1 Request for approval of alternate means of protection. ¶
Requests for approval to use an alternative means of protection shall be made in writing to the building official by the owner or the owner’s authorized representative. The request shall be accompanied by a full statement of the conditions and sufficient evidence that the proposed alternate means of protection provides reasonable protection to occupants. The building official shall require the owner to obtain a written statement from the applicable emergency management authority regarding plans and processes related to notification of anticipated conditions of flooding, warnings, evacuations and other pertinent conditions relative to the proximity of nearby levees. The building official shall also require the owner to obtain a written state- ment and findings from the entity that has jurisdiction over the management, maintenance, monitoring and control of flood protection works in the vicinity of the location of the owner’s property; such statement shall comment on the viability of the proposed alternate means of protection. The building official may request written statements from the Central Valley Flood Protection Board, the California Department of Water Resources, and the California Emergency Management Agency.
Approval of a request for use of an alternative means of protection made pursuant to these provisions shall be limited to the particu- lar case covered by the request and shall not be construed as establishing any precedent for any future request except in substantially equivalent situations.
Note: Contact information for the California Department of Water Resources and the Department’s Directory of Flood Officials , which includes levee and reclamation district boundary maps, is available on-line at the following web site: www.water.ca.gov/Building- Codes. The Department of Water Resources Building Code Project Engineer can be contacted at 916-574-1451. The Central Valley Flood Control Board Chief Engineer can be contacted at 916- 574-0609. The California Emergency Management Agency Inland Region Program Manager can be contacted at 916-845-8488.
K109.2 Appeals. ¶
When a request for an alternate means of protection has been denied by the building official, the applicant may file a written appeal with the board of appeals. In considering such appeal, the board of appeals may provide additional information to, and request additional written statements from, the Central Valley Flood Protection Board, the California Department of Water Resources, and the California Emergency Management Agency. If such additional written statements are provided, the board of appeals shall consider those statements.
APPENDIX K-4 2025 CALIFORNIA BUILDING CODE
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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
on Jul 18, 2025 11:14 AM (CDT) THEREUNDER.
APPENDIX K—GROUP R-3 AND GROUP R-3.1 OCCUPANCIES PROTECTED BY THE FACILITIES OF THE CENTRAL VALLEY FLOOD PROTECTION PLAN
APPENDIX K-6 2025 CALIFORNIA BUILDING CODE
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CALIFORNIA BUILDING CODE – MATRIX ADOPTION TABLE
APPENDIX L – EARTHQUAKE RECORDING INSTRUMENTATION
(Matrix Adoption Tables are nonregulatory, intended only as an aid to the code user. See Chapter 1 for state agency authority and building applications.)
| Adopting agency | BSC | BSC- CG |
SFM | HCD | DSA | OSHPD | BSCC | DPH | AGR | DWR | CEC | CA | SL | SLC | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adopting agency | BSC | BSC- CG |
SFM | 1 | 2 | 1/AC | AC | SS | SS/CC | 1 | 1R | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Adopt entire chapter | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Adopt entire chapter as amended (amended sections listed below) |
X | X | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Adopt only those sections that are listed below |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chapter / Section | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| L101.1 | X | X | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| L101.2 | X | X | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| L101.3 | X |
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Ask AI about this code▸ Contents — 2025 California Building Code (Title 24, Part 2)
- Chapter 1 — ADMINISTRATION
- Chapter 2 — DEFINITIONS
- Chapter 3 — OCCUPANCY CLASSIFICATION AND USE
- Chapter 4 — SPECIAL DETAILED REQUIREMENTS BASED ON OCCUPANCY A…
- Chapter 5 — GENERAL BUILDING HEIGHTS AND AREAS
- Chapter 6 — TYPES OF CONSTRUCTION
- Chapter 7 — FIRE AND SMOKE PROTECTION FEATURES
- Chapter 7A — MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION METHODS FOR EXTERIOR W…
- Chapter 8 — INTERIOR FINISHES
- Chapter 9 — FIRE PROTECTION AND LIFE SAFETY SYSTEMS
- Chapter 10 — MEANS OF EGRESS
- Chapter 11 — RESERVED
- Chapter 11A — HOUSING ACCESSIBILITY
- Chapter 11B — ACCESSIBILITY TO PUBLIC BUILDINGS, PUBLIC ACCOMM…
- Chapter 12 — INTERIOR ENVIRONMENT
- Chapter 13 — ENERGY EFFICIENCY
- Chapter 14 — EXTERIOR WALLS
- Chapter 15 — ROOF ASSEMBLIES AND ROOFTOP STRUCTURES
- Chapter 16 — STRUCTURAL DESIGN
- Chapter 16A — STRUCTURAL DESIGN
- Chapter 17 — SPECIAL INSPECTIONS AND TESTS
- Chapter 17A — SPECIAL INSPECTIONS AND TESTS
- Chapter 18 — SOILS AND FOUNDATIONS
- Chapter 18A — SOILS AND FOUNDATIONS
- Chapter 19 — CONCRETE
- Chapter 19A — CONCRETE
- Chapter 20 — ALUMINUM
- Chapter 21 — MASONRY
- Chapter 21A — MASONRY
- Chapter 22 — STEEL
- Chapter 22A — STEEL
- Chapter 23 — WOOD
- Chapter 24 — GLASS AND GLAZING
- Chapter 25 — GYPSUM PANEL PRODUCTS AND PLASTER
- Chapter 26 — PLASTIC
- Chapter 27 — ELECTRICAL
- Chapter 28 — MECHANICAL SYSTEMS
- Chapter 29 — PLUMBING SYSTEMS
- Chapter 30 — ELEVATORS AND CONVEYING SYSTEMS
- Chapter 31 — SPECIAL CONSTRUCTION
- Chapter 31A — SYSTEMS FOR WINDOW CLEANING OR EXTERIOR BUILDING…
- Chapter 31B — PUBLIC POOLS
- Chapter 31C — RADIATION
- Chapter 31D — FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS
- Chapter 31F — MARINE OIL TERMINALS
- Chapter 32 — ENCROACHMENTS INTO THE PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY
- Chapter 33 — SAFEGUARDS DURING CONSTRUCTION
- Chapter 34 — RESERVED
- Chapter 35 — REFERENCED STANDARDS
- Appendix A — EMPLOYEE QUALIFICATIONS
- Appendix B — BOARD OF APPEALS
- Appendix C — GROUP U—AGRICULTURAL BUILDINGS
- Appendix D — FIRE DISTRICTS
- Appendix E — RESERVED
- Appendix F — RODENTPROOFING
- Appendix G — FLOOD-RESISTANT CONSTRUCTION
- Appendix H — SIGNS
- Appendix I — PATIO COVERS
- Appendix J — GRADING
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▸ Appendix K — GROUP R-3 AND GROUP R-3.1 OCCUPANCIES PROTECTED B…
Overview- Section K101 — SCOPE
- Section K102 — DEFINITIONS
- Section K103 — STRUCTURAL STABILITY
- Section K104 — EVACUATION LOCATIONS
- Section K105 — SPACE WITHIN THE BUILDING
- Section K106 — DECKS AND BALCONIES THAT ARE EVACUATION LOCATIONS
- Section K107 — ROOFTOP EVACUATION LOCATIONS
- Section K108 — ATTICS THAT ARE EVACUATION LOCATIONS
- Section K109 — ALTERNATE MEANS OF PROTECTION
- Appendix L — EARTHQUAKE RECORDING INSTRUMENTATION
- Appendix M — TSUNAMI-GENERATED FLOOD HAZARDS
- Appendix N — REPLICABLE BUILDINGS
- Appendix O — PERFORMANCE-BASED APPLICATION
- Appendix P — SLEEPING LOFTS
- Appendix Q — EMERGENCY HOUSING