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Chapter 7A — MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION

Section 702A

California Building Code (Title 24, Part 2) · 2022 edition · updated 2026-09-12 · California

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

DEFINITIONS For the purposes of this chapter, certain terms are defined below:

APPLICABLE BUILDING. A building that has residential, commercial, educational, institutional or similar occupancy type use.

DIRECTOR. Director of the California Department of For- estry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE).

EXTERIOR WALL ASSEMBLY. A system or assembly of exterior wall components, including exterior wall covering materials, that provides protection of the building structural members, including framing and sheathing materials, and conditioned interior space, from the detrimental effects of the exterior environment.

EXTERIOR WALL COVERING. A material or assembly of materials applied on the exterior side of exterior walls for the purpose of providing a weather-resisting barrier, insulation or for aesthetics, including but not limited to veneers, siding, exterior insulation and finish systems, architectural trim, and embellishments such as cornices, soffits, fascias, gutters and leaders.

FIRE HAZARD SEVERITY ZONES. Geographical areas designated pursuant to California Public Resources Codes Sections 4201 through 4204 and classified as Very High, High or Moderate in State Responsibility Areas or as Local Responsibility Areas in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones designated pursuant to California Government Code, Sections 51175 through 51189. See California Fire Code Chapter 49.

The California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Section 1280, entitles the maps of these geographical areas as “Maps of the Fire Hazard Severity Zones in the State Responsibility Area of California.”

FIRE PROTECTION PLAN. A document prepared for a specific project or development proposed for a Wildland- Urban Interface (WUI) Fire Area. It describes ways to mini- mize and mitigate potential for loss from wildfire exposure.

The Fire Protection Plan shall be in accordance with this chapter and the California Fire Code, Chapter 49.

FIRE-RESISTANT VEGETATION. Plants, shrubs, trees and other vegetation that exhibit properties, such as high moisture content, little accumulation of dead vegetation, and low sap or resin content, that make them less likely to ignite or contribute heat or spread flame in a fire than native vege- tation typically found in the region.

Note: The following sources contain examples of types of vegetation that can be considered as fire-resistant vegeta- tion. (Fire-resistant Plants for Home Landscapes, A Pacific Northwest Extension publication; Home Land- scaping for Fire, University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources; Sunset Western Gar- den Book)

2. New buildings located in any Fire Hazard Severity Zone within State Responsibility Areas or any Wildland Interface Fire Area designated by cities and other local agen- cies for which an application for a building permit is submitted on or after December 1, 2005 but prior to July 1, 2008, shall only comply with the following sections of this chapter:

2.1. Section 705A – Roofing.

2.2. Section 706A – Attic Ventilation.

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▸Contents — California Building Code (Title 24, Part 2)
California Building Code (Title 24, Part 2)
  1. Chapter 2 — DEFINITIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS
  2. Appendix G — FLOOD-RESISTANT
  3. Appendix L — EARTHQUAKE RECORDING
  4. Appendix M — TSUNAMI-GENERATED
  5. Appendix N — REPLICABLE
  6. Appendix O — PERFORMANCE-BASED
  7. Chapter 1 — SCOPE AND ADMINISTRATION
  8. Chapter 3 — OCCUPANCY CLASSIFICATION AND USE
  9. Chapter 4 — SPECIAL DETAILED REQUIREMENTS BASED ON OCCUPANCY A…
  10. Chapter 5 — GENERAL BUILDING HEIGHTS AND AREAS
  11. Chapter 6 — TYPES OF CONSTRUCTION
  12. Chapter 7 — FIRE AND SMOKE PROTECTION FEATURES
  13. ▸Chapter 7A — MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION
    Overview
    1. Section 701A
    2. Section 702A
    3. Section 703A
    4. Section 704A
    5. Section 705A
    6. Section 707A
    7. Section 706A
    8. Section 708A
    9. Section 710A
    10. Section 709A
  14. Chapter 8 — INTERIOR FINISHES
  15. Chapter 9 — FIRE PROTECTION AND LIFE SAFETY SYSTEMS
  16. Chapter 10 — MEANS OF EGRESS
  17. Chapter 11A — HOUSING ACCESSIBILITY
  18. Chapter 11B — ACCESSIBILITY TO PUBLIC BUILDINGS, PUBLIC ACCOMM…
  19. Chapter 12 — INTERIOR ENVIRONMENT
  20. Chapter 14 — EXTERIOR WALLS
  21. Chapter 15 — ROOF ASSEMBLIES AND ROOFTOP STRUCTURES
  22. Chapter 16 — STRUCTURAL DESIGN
  23. Chapter 16A — STRUCTURAL DESIGN
  24. Chapter 17 — SPECIAL INSPECTIONS AND TESTS
  25. Chapter 18 — SOILS AND FOUNDATIONS
  26. Chapter 19 — CONCRETE
  27. Chapter 20 — ALUMINUM
  28. Chapter 21 — MASONRY
  29. Chapter 22 — STEEL
  30. Chapter 23 — WOOD
  31. Chapter 24 — GLASS AND GLAZING
  32. Chapter 25 — GYPSUM BOARD, GYPSUM PANEL PRODUCTS AND PLASTER
  33. Chapter 26 — PLASTIC
  34. Chapter 27 — ELECTRICAL
  35. Chapter 28 — MECHANICAL SYSTEMS
  36. Chapter 30 — ELEVATORS AND CONVEYING SYSTEMS
  37. Chapter 31 — SPECIAL CONSTRUCTION
  38. Chapter 31B — PUBLIC POOLS
  39. Chapter 31C — RADIATION
  40. Chapter 31D — FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS
  41. Chapter 31F — MARINE OIL TERMINALS
  42. Chapter 32 — ENCROACHMENTS INTO THE PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY
  43. Chapter 33 — SAFEGUARDS DURING CONSTRUCTION
  44. Chapter 35 — REFERENCED STANDARDS
  45. Appendix A — EMPLOYEE QUALIFICATIONS
  46. Appendix B — BOARD OF APPEALS
  47. Appendix C — GROUP U – AGRICULTURAL BUILDINGS
  48. Appendix D — FIRE DISTRICTS
  49. Appendix F — RODENTPROOFING
  50. Appendix H — SIGNS
  51. Appendix I — PATIO COVERS
  52. Appendix J — GRADING
  53. Appendix K — GROUP R-3 AND GROUP R-3.1 OCCUPANCIES
  54. Appendix P — EMERGENCY HOUSING

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