Lake Elsinore Municipal Code Ch. 15.06 Residential Code (CA)

§ 15.06.010. Residential code – Established.¶

Except as provided in this chapter, the California Residential Code, 2025 Edition based on the 2024 International Building Code as published by the International Code Conference, shall be and become the Residential Code of the City, regulating and controlling the construction, alteration, movement, enlargement, replacement, repair, equipment, use and occupancy, location, maintenance, removal and demolition of every detached one-and-two-family dwelling, townhouse not more than three stories above grade plane in height with a separate means of egress, and structures accessory thereto throughout the State of California. The California Residential Code is on file for public examination in the office of the Building Official.

(Ord. 1287 § 4, 2010; Ord. 1318 § 4, 2013; Ord. 1365 § 4, 2016; Ord. 1419 § 3, 2019; Ord. 1476 § 4, 2022; Ord. 1521, 11/18/2025)

Exceptions & meaning →

§ 15.06.020. Amendments.¶

The 2025 edition of the California Residential Code is hereby amended as follows:

Section R108.2 Fees, is hereby amended to include the following as the second and third sentences in the paragraph:

The fees for Plan Check and Permit shall be as set pursuant to Chapter 3.40 of the Lake Elsinore Municipal Code and as adopted in Ordinance 1087.

Said plan check fee shall be 75 percent of the building permit fee as set pursuant to Chapter 3.40 LEMC.

Section R112.3 Appeals, is hereby amended as follows:

The Board of Appeals when referenced in any of the Building Standards Codes shall mean the Planning Commission of the City of Lake Elsinore. The Board of Appeals is hereby established for each of the Building Standards Codes. Depending on the subject of the appeal, specialized expertise may be solicited for the purpose of providing input to the Appeals Board.

Section R113.4, Violation Penalties, is hereby amended as follows:

Any person, firm, or corporation violating any of the provisions or failing to comply with any of the mandatory requirements of the Ordinances of Lake Elsinore shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. Any person convicted of a misdemeanor under the Ordinances of Lake Elsinore shall be punished by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars, or by imprisonment not to exceed six months, or by both such fine and imprisonment. Each such person shall be guilty of a separate offense for each and every day during any portion of which any violation of any provision of the Ordinances of Lake Elsinore is committed, continued, or permitted by any such person, and shall be punished accordingly.

Table R301.2(1) is amended and revised in its entirety to read:

TABLE R301.2(1) CLIMATIC AND GEOGRAPHIC DESIGN CRITERIA

Ground Snow Load	Wind Design	Wind Design	Seismic Design Category	Subject To Damage From	Subject To Damage From	Subject To Damage From	Winter Design Temp e	Ice Barrier Under Layment Required h	Flood Hazards g	Air Freezing Index I	Mean Annual Temp j
Ground Snow Load	Speed d (mph)	Topographic effects k	Seismic Design Category	Weathering a	Frost line Depth b	Termite c	Winter Design Temp e	Ice Barrier Under Layment Required h	Flood Hazards g	Air Freezing Index I	Mean Annual Temp j
Zero	85	No	D 2 or E	Negligible	12-24”	Very Heavy	43	No	See Exhibit B	0	60

For SI: 1 pound per square foot = 0.0479 kPa, 1 mile per hour = 0.447 m/s.

a.	Weathering may require a higher strength concrete or grade of masonry than necessary to satisfy the structural requirements of this code. The weathering column shall be filled in with the weathering index (i.e., “negligible,” “moderate” or “severe”) for concrete as determined from the Weathering Probability Map [Figure R301.2(3)]. The grade of masonry units shall be determined from ASTM C 34, C 55, C 62, C 73, C 90, C 129, C 145, C 216 or C 652.
b.	The frost line depth may require deeper footings than indicated in Figure R403.1(1). The jurisdiction shall fill in the frost line depth column with the minimum depth of footing below finish grade.
c.	The jurisdiction shall fill in this part of the table to indicate the need for protection depending on whether there has been a history of local subterranean termite damage.
d.	The jurisdiction shall fill in this part of the table with the wind speed from the basic wind speed map [Figure R301.2(4)]. Wind exposure category shall be determined on a site-specific basis in accordance with Section R301.2.1.4.
e.	The outdoor design dry-bulb temperature shall be selected from the columns of 97 1/2-percent values for winter from Appendix D of the International Plumbing Code. Deviations from the Appendix D temperatures shall be permitted to reflect local climates or local weather experience as determined by the building official.
f.	The jurisdiction shall fill in this part of the table with the seismic design category determined from Section R301.2.2.1.
g.	The jurisdiction shall fill in this part of the table with (a) the date of the jurisdiction’s entry into the National Flood Insurance Program (date of adoption of the first code or ordinance for management of flood hazard areas), (b) the date(s) of the Flood Insurance Study and (c) the panel numbers and dates of all currently effective FIRMs and FBFMs or other flood hazard map adopted by the authority having jurisdiction, as amended.
h.	In accordance with Sections R905.2.7.1, R905.4.3.1, R905.5.3.1, R905.6.3.1, R905.7.3.1 and R905.8.3.1, where there has been a history of local damage from the effects of ice damming, the jurisdiction shall fill in this part of the table with “YES.” Otherwise, the jurisdiction shall fill in this part of the table with “NO.”
i.	The jurisdiction shall fill in this part of the table with the 100-year return period air freezing index (BF-days) from Figure R403.3(2) or from the 100-year (99%) value on the National Climatic Data Center data table “Air Freezing Index- USA Method (Base 32°)” at www.ncdc.noaa.gov/fpsf.html.
j.	The jurisdiction shall fill in this part of the table with the mean annual temperature from the National Climatic Data Center data table “Air Freezing Index-USA Method (Base 32°F)” at www.ncdc.noaa.gov/fpsf.html.
k.	In accordance with Section R301.2.1.5, where there is local historical data documenting structural damage to buildings due to topographic wind speed-up effects, the jurisdiction shall fill in this part of the table with “YES.” Otherwise, the jurisdiction shall indicate “NO” in this part of the table.

Section R403.1.3 is modified by deleting the exception for masonry stem walls:

In Seismic Design Categories D0, D1 and D2 masonry stem walls without solid grout and vertical reinforcing are not permitted.

Exception: In detached one- and two-family dwellings which are three stories or less in height and constructed with stud bearing walls, plain concrete footings without longitudinal reinforcement supporting walls and isolated plain concrete footings supporting columns or pedestals are permitted.

Section R405.1 shall be modified to read as follows:

. . . . .at least one sieve size larger than the tile joint opening or perforation and covered with not less than 6 inches of the same material.

Exception: A drainage system is not required with the foundation is installed on well drained ground or sand-gravel mixture soils according to the Unified Soil Classification System, Group 1 Soils, as detailed in Table R405.1.

Section R902.1 is amended by revising it to allow only class A or B roofs as follows:

R902.1 Roofing covering materials. Roofs shall be covered with materials as set forth in Sections R904 and R905. A minimum Class A or B roofing shall be installed in areas designated by this section. Classes A or B roofing required by this section to be listed shall be tested in accordance with UL 790 or ASTM E 108.

Exceptions:

1.	Class A roof assemblies include those with coverings of brick, masonry and exposed concrete roof deck.
2.	Class A roof assemblies also include ferrous or copper shingles or sheets, metal sheets and shingles, clay or concrete roof tile, or slate installed on noncombustible decks.

Section R902.1.3 is amended by revising it to require a minimum Class B roof as follows:

R902.1.3 Roof coverings within all other areas. The entire roof covering of every existing structure where more than 50 percent of the total roof area is replaced within any one-year period, the entire roof covering of every new structure, and any roof covering applied in the alteration, repair or replacement of the roof of every existing structure, shall be a fire-retardant roof covering that is at least Class B.

Section R902.2, first paragraph is amended by revising it to allow only Class A or B treated wood roofs as follows:

R902.2 Fire-retardant-treated shingles and shakes. Fire-retardant-treated wood shakes and shingles are wood shakes and shingles complying with UBC Standard 15-3 or 15-4 which are impregnated by the full-cell vacuum-pressure process with fire-retardant chemicals, and which have been qualified by UBC Standard 15-2 for use on Class A or B roofs.

(Ord. 1287 § 4, 2010; Ord. 1318 § 5, 2013; Ord. 1365 § 4, 2016; Ord. 1419 § 3, 2019; Ord. 1476 § 4, 2022; Ord. 1521, 11/18/2025)

Exceptions & meaning →