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Chapter 16 — STRUCTURAL DESIGN

Section 1606 — DEAD LOADS

2025 California Building Code (Title 24, Part 2) · 2025 edition · updated 2026-07-29 · California

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

1606.1 General.

Buildings, structures, and parts thereof shall be designed to resist the effects of dead loads.

1606.2 Weights of materials of construction.

For purposes of design, the actual weights of materials of construction shall be used. In the absence of definite information, values used shall be subject to the approval of the building official.

1606.3 Weight of fixed service equipment.

In determining dead loads for purposes of design, the weight of fixed service equipment, including the maximum weight of the contents of fixed service equipment, shall be included. The components of fixed service equipment that are variable, such as liquid contents and movable trays, shall not be used to counteract forces causing overturning, sliding, and uplift conditions in accordance with Section 1.3.6 of ASCE 7.

Exceptions:

  1. Where force effects are the result of the presence of the variable components, the components are permitted to be used to counter those load effects. In such cases, the structure shall be designed for force effects with the variable components present and with them absent.
  2. For the calculation of seismic force effects, the components of fixed service equipment that are variable, such as liquid contents and movable trays, need not exceed those expected during normal operation.

1606.4 Photovoltaic panel systems.

The weight of photovoltaic panel systems, their support system, and ballast shall be considered as dead load.

1606.5 Vegetative and landscaped roofs.

The weight of all landscaping and hardscaping materials for vegetative and landscaped roofs shall be considered as dead load. The weight shall be computed considering both fully saturated soil and drainage layer materials and fully dry soil and drainage layer materials to determine the most severe load effects on the structure.

on Jul 18, 2025 11:14 AM (CDT) THEREUNDER.

STRUCTURAL DESIGN

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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
    Overview
    1. Section 1601 — GENERAL
    2. Section 1602 — NOTATIONS
    3. Section 1603 — CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS
    4. Section 1604 — GENERAL DESIGN REQUIREMENTS
    5. Section 1605 — LOAD COMBINATIONS
    6. Section 1606 — DEAD LOADS
    7. Section 1607 — LIVE LOADS
    8. Section 1608 — SNOW LOADS
    9. Section 1609 — WIND LOADS
    10. Section 1610 — SOIL LOADS AND HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE
    11. Section 1611 — RAIN LOADS
    12. Section 1612 — FLOOD LOADS
    13. Section 1613 — EARTHQUAKE LOADS
    14. Section 1614 — ATMOSPHERIC ICE LOADS
    15. Section 1615 — TSUNAMI LOADS
    16. Section 1616 — STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY
    17. Section 1617 — ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGES …
  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…
  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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