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Chapter 3 — PROVISIONS FOR ALL COMPLIANCE METHODS

Section 307A

California Existing Building Code (Title 24, Part 10) · 2019 edition · updated 2026-09-10 · California

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

COMPLIANCE ALTERNATIVES FOR SERVICES/SYSTEMS AND UTILITIES

307A.1 General. The provisions of this section are intended

to maintain or increase the current degree of public safety, health and general welfare in existing buildings while per- mitting repair, alteration, addition and change of occu- pancy without requiring full compliance with California Building Code Chapters 2 through 33, or Sections 302A.3, and 502A through 506A, except where compliance with other provisions of this code is specifically required in this section.

Services/systems and utilities that originate in and pass through or under buildings and are necessary to the opera- tion of the hospital buildings shall meet the structural requirements of this section. Examples of services/systems and utilities include but are not limited to normal power; emergency power; nurse call; fire alarm; communication and data systems; space-heating systems; process load systems; cooling systems; domestic hot and cold water systems; means of egress systems; fire-suppression systems; building drain and sewer systems; and medical gas systems that support basic and supplemental services.

After January 1, 2030, services/systems and utilities for acute care hospital buildings shall not originate in or pass through or under a nonhospital or hospital building unless it has approved performance categories of SPC-3 or higher and NPC-5.

307A.1.1 Services/systems and utilities. Services/systems and utilities that are necessary to the operation of the hos- pital buildings shall meet the structural requirements of this section, based upon the approved Structural Perfor- mance Category (SPC) of the building receiving the ser- vices/systems and utilities.

Services from a conforming building shall be permitted to serve a nonconforming building with prior approval of the Office. The services/systems and utilities in the non- conforming building shall be equipped with fail safe valves, switches, or other equivalent devices that allow the

nonconforming building to be isolated from the conform- ing building.

Exception: Remodel projects that use available exist- ing services/systems and utilities are exempted from the requirements of this section. The enforcing agency shall be permitted to exempt minor addition, minor alteration, and minor remodel projects and projects to upgrade existing services/systems and utilities from the requirements of this section.

307A.1.1.1 Services/systems and utilities for hospital buildings.

307A.1.1.1.1 New hospital buildings, additions, alterations, and remodels of conforming (SPC-3, -4, -4D, or -5) hospital buildings. Services/systems and utilities for new hospital buildings and addi- tions, alterations or remodels to existing conform- ing buildings shall originate in hospital buildings that are conforming or have approved perfor- mance categories of SPC-3 or higher, and NPC-4/ NPC-4D or higher. The services/systems and utili- ties shall not pass through or under buildings that do not have approved performance categories of SPC- 2 or higher and NPC-4/NPC-4D or higher.

Exceptions:

Services/systems and utilities shall be permit- ted to pass through or under buildings that have approved nonstructural performance categories of NPC-3 or higher or NPC-2, pro- vided that the building has an approved exten- sion to the NPC-3 deadline. The services/ systems and utilities feeding the new building addition, alteration, or remodel shall conform to the new building provisions of this code and shall be deemed by OSHPD to be free of adverse seismic interactions that could be caused by potential failure of overhead or adjacent components.

307A.1.1.1.2 Additions, alterations, and remod- els of SPC-2 hospital buildings. Services/systems and utilities for additions, alterations, or remod- els of SPC-2 hospital buildings shall be permitted to originate in and pass through or under SPC-2 or higher buildings that have an approved non- structural performance category of NPC-3 or higher.

Exception: Services/systems and utilities shall be permitted to pass through or under buildings that have approved nonstructural performance cate- gories of NPC-2, provided that the building has an approved extension to the NPC-3 deadline. Services/systems and utilities feeding the addi- tion, alteration or remodel shall conform to the nonstructural bracing requirements for new buildings.

72 2019 CALIFORNIA EXISTING BUILDING CODE

Copyright © 2019 ICC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Accessed by Kevin Day (kevin.day@dgs.ca.gov), (California Building Standards Commission) Order Number #100735044 on Jul 24, 2019 03:54 PM (PDT) pursuant to License Agreement with ICC. No further reproduction or distribution authorized. Single user only, copying and networking prohibited. ANY UNAUTHORIZED REPRODUCTION OR DISTRIBUTION IS A VIOLATION OF THE FEDERAL COPYRIGHT ACT AND THE LICENSE AGREEMENT, AND SUBJECT TO CIVIL AND CRIMINAL PENALTIES THEREUNDER.

100735044

307A.1.1.1.3 Alterations and remodels of SPC-1 hospital buildings. Services/systems and utilities for alterations or remodels of SPC-1 hospital build- ings shall be permitted to originate in and pass through or under SPC-1 or higher buildings that have an approved nonstructural performance cate- gory of NPC-2 or higher.

307A.1.1.1.4 Buildings without SPC/NPC rat- ings. When services/systems and utilities for new buildings, additions, alterations, or remodels pass through or under hospital buildings which would not otherwise require evaluation for an SPC rating, such buildings shall be evaluated in accordance with the requirements of Section 1.3, Chapter 6, of the California Administrative Code, to determine the appropriate ratings, or shall be shown to meet the structural requirements of these regulations for new hospital buildings. The services/systems and utilities feeding the new building addition, alter- ation, or remodel shall conform with new building provisions of this code and shall be deemed by OSHPD to be free of adverse seismic interactions that could be caused by potential failure of over- head or adjacent components.

307A.1.1.1.5 Buildings removed from acute-care hospital service. Services/systems and utilities for conforming acute care hospital buildings shall be permitted to pass through or under a building that has been removed from acute care hospital service until January 1, 2030, if the building removed from service meets the performance requirements of Section 307A.1.1.1.1. Services/systems and utili- ties for nonconforming nonacute care hospital buildings shall be permitted to pass through or under a building that has been removed from acute care hospital service only if the building removed from service meets the performance requirements of Section 307A.1.1.1.2.

Exception : Service/system and utilities for acute care hospital buildings may pass through or under the buildings that have been removed from acute care service and which do not meet the per- formance requirements of Section 307A.1.1.1.1 or Section 307A.1.1.1.2, provided all the follow- ing are met:

1. The building removed from acute care ser- vice remains under the jurisdiction of OSHPD.

2. The service/system and utilities only sup- port acute care services in SPC-1 or SPC-2 buildings, and where no critical care areas occur.

3. The SPC-1 or SPC-2 buildings supported by the service/system and utilities meet the nonstructural requirements of NPC-2, as defined in the CAC, Part 1, Article 11, Table 11.1 and are served with essential power from a conforming building or source which does not pass through or

PROVISIONS FOR ALL COMPLIANCE METHODS

under a building removed from acute care services.

4. The SPC-2 buildings supported by the ser- vice/system and utilities are removed from acute care service no later than January 1, 2026.

307A.1.2 Jurisdiction. Services/systems and utilities shall originate in and only pass through or under buildings that are under the jurisdiction of the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD).

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