Earlier editions: 2026-07
Title 14 — Buildings and Construction
Jackson Municipal Code Ch. 14.04 Uniform Codes
Jackson Municipal Code · 2026-10 edition · updated 2026-10-04 · Jackson
Cite as: Jackson Municipal Code Chapter 14.04 · Text as of 2026-10-04
§ 14.04.010. Adoption of Codes and related appendices.¶
A. The 2025 Edition of the California Administrative Code contained in California Code of Regulations Title 24 Part 1 is hereby adopted by reference as the Administrative Code of the City of Jackson;
B. The 2025 Edition of the California Building Code contained in California Code of Regulations Title 24 Part 2, Volume 1 and Volume 2, which incorporates and amends the 2024 Edition of the International Building Code published by the International Code Council, including Chapter 1, is hereby adopted by reference as the Building Code of the City of Jackson;
C. The 2025 Edition of the California Residential Code contained in California Code of Regulations Title 24 Part 2.5, which incorporates and amends the 2024 Edition of the International Residential Code as published by the International Code Council, including Chapter 1, is hereby adopted by reference as the Residential Code of the City of Jackson;
D. The 2025 Edition of the California Electrical Code contained in California Code of Regulations Title 24 Part 3, which incorporates and amends the 2023 Edition of the National Electric Code published by the National Fire Protection Association, including Chapter 1, is hereby adopted by reference as the Electrical Code of the City of Jackson;
E. The 2025 Edition of the California Mechanical Code contained in California Code of Regulations Title 24 Part 4, which incorporates and amends the 2024 Edition of the Uniform Mechanical Code published by the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials, including Chapter 1, is hereby adopted by reference as the Mechanical Code of the City of Jackson;
F. The 2025 Edition of the California Plumbing Code contained in California Code of Regulations Title 24 Part 5, which incorporates and amends the 2024 Edition of the Uniform Plumbing Code published by the International Association of Plumbing and Plumbing Officials, including Chapter 1, is hereby adopted as the Plumbing Code of the City of Jackson;
G. The 2025 Edition of the California Energy Code contained in California Code of Regulations Title 24 Part 6 is hereby adopted by reference as the Energy Code of the City of Jackson;
H. The 2025 Edition of California Wildland-Urban Interface Code contained in California Code of Regulations Title 24 Part 7 is hereby adopted by reference as the Wildland-Urban Interface Code of the City of Jackson;
I. The 2025 Edition of the California Historical Building Code contained in California Code of Regulations Title 24 Part 8 is hereby adopted by reference as the Historical Building Code of the City of Jackson;
J. The 2025 Edition of the California Fire Code contained in California Code of Regulations Title 24 Part 9, which incorporates and amends the 2024 Edition of the International Fire Code as published by the International Code Council, including Chapter 1, is hereby adopted as the Fire Code of the City of Jackson;
K. The 2025 Edition of the California Existing Building Code contained in California Code of Regulations Title 24 Part 10 is hereby adopted by reference as the Existing Building Code of the City of Jackson;
L. The 2025 Edition of the California Green Building Standards Code contained in California Code of Regulations Title 24 Part 11 is hereby adopted by reference as the Green Building Standards Code of the City of Jackson;
M. The 2025 Edition of the California Referenced Standards Code contained in California Code of Regulations Title 24 Part 12 is hereby adopted by reference as the Referenced Standards Code of the City of Jackson;
N. The 2024 Edition of the International Property Maintenance Code as published by the International Code Council is hereby adopted by reference as the Property Maintenance Code of the City of Jackson;
O. The 2025 Edition of the Uniform Swimming Pool, Spa and Hot Tub Code as published by the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials is hereby adopted by reference as the Swimming Pool Code of the City of Jackson;
P. The 1997 Edition of the Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings, published by the International Conference of Building Officials, is hereby adopted by reference as the Dangerous Buildings Code of the City of Jackson;
Q. The 1997 Edition of the Uniform Housing Code, published by the International Conference of Building Officials, as referenced and adopted by the California Department of Housing and Community Development in California Code of Regulations Title 25 pursuant to the Health and Safety Code Sections 17958, 17958.5, 17958.7, 17958.9 and 17959 is hereby adopted by reference as the Housing Code of the City of Jackson;
R. The 1997 Edition of the Uniform Building Security Code, published by the International Conference of Building Officials, is hereby adopted by reference as the Security Building Code of the City of Jackson;
S. The above-identified codes in this Section 14.04.010 (hereinafter collectively referred to as the "Codes") are adopted for the purpose of prescribing regulations for the erection, construction, modification, repair, maintenance, demolition, use and occupancy of buildings and structures. One copy of each of the Codes shall be maintained for use and examination of the public in the office of the building official.
(Ord. 700 §3, 2017; Ord. 713 §3, 2020; Ord. 727 §3, 2022; Ord. 741, 2/23/2026)
§ 14.04.015. Conflicting provisions.¶
In the event of any conflict in the provisions or requirements of this title, any other title of the City of Jackson Municipal Code, the technical codes, and any other codes or laws, the most restrictive shall govern.
(Ord. 727 §3, 2022; Ord. 741, 2/23/2026)
§ 14.04.020. Violation of Codes—Penalties.¶
A. Violation of any provision of the Codes shall subject the violator to any or all of the following: suit for civil remedy or criminal penalty.
B. The criminal penalty for the first or second offense shall be punishable as an infraction as defined by the Penal Code, as amended from time to time. The criminal penalty for a third offense or more, shall be punishable as a misdemeanor as defined by the Penal Code, as amended from time to time.
(Ord. 700 §4, 2017; Ord. 713 §4, 2020; Ord. 727 §3, 2022; Ord. 741, 2/23/2026)
§ 14.04.030. Amendments to California Building Code.¶
The provisions of this Section 14.04.030 shall constitute local amendments to the cross-referenced provisions of the 2025 Edition of the California Building Code, the California Code of Regulations Title 24, and shall be deemed to amend the cross-referenced section in said code with the respective provisions set forth in this Section 14.04.030.
A. Sections 105.1.1 and 105.1.2 of the California Building Code shall be deleted in their entirety.
B. Section 105.5 of the California Building Code is amended by adding the following to the end of the section:
For the purpose of this section, work under a permit shall be considered suspended or abandoned, and the permit subject to expiration, if the permit holder or person doing the work does not call for and pass one or more of the required inspections set forth in section(s) 110.3.1 through 110.3.10 within 180 days after the date the permit was issued, or the date of passing a prior required inspection, whichever date is later.
The permit holder may request an extension or reinstatement of a permit which may be granted at the discretion of the Building Official. Each request will be evaluated on a case by case basis.
C. Section 109.6 of the California Building Code is amended to read as follows:
The building official may authorize refunding of a fee paid hereunder which was erroneously paid or collected.
The building official may authorize refunding of not more than 80 percent of the building permit fee paid when no work has been done under a permit issued in accordance with this code.
The building official may authorize refunding of not more than 80 percent of the plan review fee paid when an application for a permit for which a plan review fee has been paid is withdrawn or canceled before any examination time has been expended.
The building official shall not authorize the refunding of any fee paid except upon written application filed by the original permittee not later than 180 days after the date of fee payment.
D. Section 113.1 of the California Building Code is amended to read as follows:
113.1 General. In order to hear and decide appeals of orders, decisions or determinations made by the Building Official relative to the application and interpretations of the technical code, there shall be and is hereby created a Board of Appeals. The Board of Appeals shall be appointed by the governing body and shall hold office at its pleasure.
The Board of Appeals shall consist of not less than three members appointed by the City of Jackson California City Council, who (i) are qualified by experience and training to pass upon matters pertaining to building construction and building service equipment, and (ii) are not employees of City of Jackson. The Building Official shall be an ex officio member and shall act as secretary to said Board but shall have no vote upon any matter before the Board. The Board shall adopt rules of procedure for conducting its business and shall render all decisions and findings in writing to the appellant with a duplicate copy to the Building Official.
E. Section 903.2 of the California Building Code is amended by adding the following to the end of the section:
Existing buildings when there is a change in character of the occupancy or use of any building that may, in the opinion of the Building Official, increase or cause to increase the threat of fire or threat to life and safety.
Exception:
| 1. | Agricultural buildings as defined in Section 202 of the California Building Code. |
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| An approved fire control room shall be provided for all buildings protected by an automatic fire extinguishing system. The fire control room shall contain all system control valves, fire alarm control panels and other fire equipment required by the fire chief. Fire control rooms shall be located within the building at a location approved by the fire chief, and shall be provided with a means to access the room directly from the exterior of the building. Durable signage shall be provided on the exterior side of the access door to identify the fire control room. Access to the room shall be provided by a District approved key system. Exception: Residential Group R-3 as defined in Section 310 of the California Building Code. |
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F. Section 903.2.8.1 of the California Building Code is amended by adding the following to the end of the section:
An automatic fire sprinkler system approved by the Building Official shall be installed throughout in:
Every R3 occupancy building, regardless of size, hereafter constructed and every other building hereafter constructed in which the fire area, as defined in Chapter 2 of the California Building Code, is 5,000 square feet or greater.
Exceptions:
| i. | The Building Official may waive this requirement if the building is divided into areas of less than 5,000 square feet by the construction of fire walls pursuant to the requirements of Section 706 of the California Building Code. |
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| ii. | Agricultural buildings as defined in Section 202 of the California Building Code. |
G. Section 1608.1 of the California Building Code shall be amended to add the following sentence at the end of the section as follows:
The snow load for the City of Jackson shall be 20 pounds per square foot.
H. Section J103.2 of Appendix J the California Building Code shall be modified by adding the following after Item 7:
| 8. | Grading projects less than 50 cubic yards shall not require permit or notification of the City of Jackson. | Grading projects less than 50 cubic yards shall not require permit or notification of the City of Jackson. |
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| 9. | Upon submission of an executed Grading Acknowledgement Form and payment of the required fee, a landowner may perform the exempt grading activities as provided in this section. | Upon submission of an executed Grading Acknowledgement Form and payment of the required fee, a landowner may perform the exempt grading activities as provided in this section. |
| Exempt grading shall conform to the following requirements: | ||
| i. | Excavation and/ |
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| ii. | Grading activities 51 to 500 yards may be considered to be exempt. Exempt grading activities within this classification that are conducted between April 15 and October 15 of the calendar year will not require an erosion control or grading plan, however a site inspection will be conducted at the current hourly rate to review the project. The intent of this classification is to exempt grading related to private horse arenas, private parking, utility buildings 120 square feet or less without plumbing or electrical, and roof structures 120 square feet or less not intended for public use. Finish slopes will not exceed 2 to 1 and cut and/ |
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| iii. | Any structure requiring a building permit that is built on fill 12 or more inches in depth will require a geotechnical investigation (compaction testing) conducted by a design professional. Results of the investigation will be submitted in writing to the Building Official and shall meet the requirements set forth in California Building Code Section 1803.5.8. Compaction shall be no less than 95%. The report shall be submitted and approved prior to construction of the foundation or as determined by the Building Official; | |
| iv. | Cut and fill slopes shall not exceed 2:1 (Horizontal:Vertical); | |
| v. | Cut and fill depths shall not exceed 4 feet in depth as measured between a point on the original grade and the same point measured in the final graded condition; | |
| vi. | Grading shall not result in a change in the location or increase in the rate of drainage discharge from the property; | |
| vii. | Disturbance of more than 1 acre shall require a Notice of Intent to be filed with the Regional Water Quality Control Board; | |
| viii. | Top of cuts or toe of fills shall be at least 4 feet from all property lines and beyond drainage; | |
| ix. | All fills shall be compacted to 90% relative compaction when not building a permitted structure on the fill. Compaction testing may not be required. In this case compaction is the sole responsibility of the property owner/ |
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| x. | Materials such as wood debris, roots, stumps and other deleterious and unsuitable material shall not be buried within the fill; and | |
| xi. | Erosion control measures shall be in place in disturbed areas prior to October 15. | |
| xii. | Violations. In the event that 1) any otherwise exempt grading is conducted without prior payment of the applicable fee and submission of a properly executed Grading Acknowledgement form, or 2) any grading performed pursuant to this Section fails to comply with the provisions set forth above, such grading shall not be exempt and the Owner shall be required to obtain a grading permit, meeting all standards and paying all fees then in effect. | |
| xiv. | Fees. A fee to cover the cost of administration of this section shall be adopted by resolution of the City Council of the City of Jackson. |
I. Sections 307.4.3.1 and 307.4.3.2 are added to the California Fire Code as follows:
307.4.3.1. Use Conditions and Restrictions.
Portable outdoor fireplaces shall not be larger than 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet in height and must include a mesh-style grate or deflector that covers the openings of the fireplace. Said grate or deflector must cover the openings so embers cannot escape from the portable outdoor fireplace.
Portable outdoor fireplaces, including those used at one-and-two-family dwellings, shall be used in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions and shall not be operated within 15 feet of a structure or combustible material.
307.4.3.2. Enforcement.
The Fire Chief or his or her designee and the Jackson Fire Department are both authorized to extinguish any fire within the City of Jackson, conducted in violation of this section or deemed unsafe due to weather, fuel conditions, or supervision, regardless of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) restricted burn status or purpose.
(Ord. 700 §5, 2017; Ord. 713 §5, 2020; Ord. 727 §3, 2022; Ord. 728 § 4, 2023; Ord. 741, 2/23/2026)
§ 14.04.050. Fees.¶
Fees shall be set by resolution of the city council as amended from time to time.
(Ord. 676, 12/13; Ord. 727 §3, 2022)
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