Santa Ana Municipal Code § 14-10 Historical property

There is adopted by the city that certain code known as the California Fire Code 2025 Edition, based on the 2024 International Fire Code as published by the International Code Council, (hereinafter referred to in this article as the "California Fire Code" or "fire code") and the whole thereof including the Appendices therein, errata issued during and after the publishing date, save and except such portions as are hereinafter deleted or amended, of which code not less than one (1) copy has been and is now on file in the office of the city clerk of the city pursuant to Health and Safety Code Section 18942(d)(1) and are made available for public inspection. Said code is adopted and incorporated as fully as if set forth at length herein and, subject to all amendments set forth in this article, shall be in effect within the city from the effective date of this article. Any provision of this article amending the above mentioned codes shall be construed as amending the 2024 and 2025 editions thereof including such provisions enacted prior to this adoption of the said 2024 and 2025 editions and not thereafter repealed. The International Fire Code, 2024 edition and the California Fire Code 2025 edition, as thus amended, together with all other provisions of this article, shall be known as the "Fire Code of the City of Santa Ana."

(Ord. No. NS-1727, §§ 1, 2, 4-16-84; Ord. No. NS-2051, § 1, 5-7-90; Ord. No. NS-2192, § 1, 4-20-93; Ord. No. NS-2274, § 1, 12-18-95; Ord. No. NS-2522, § 70, 2-3-03; Ord. No. NS-2760, § 49, 12-3-07; Ord. No. NS-2810, § 52, 11-15-10; Ord. No. NS-2851, § 44, 11-18-13; Ord. No. NS-2905, § 16, 12-6-16; Ord. No. NS-2981, § 15, 12-17-19; Ord. No. NS-3032, § 14, 12-20-22; Ord. No. NS-3088, § 16, 1-20-26)

Editor's note— Ord. No. NS-2851, § 44, adopted November 18, 2013, amended § 14-1 to read as set out herein. Previously § 14-1 was titled adoption of the International Fire Code, 2009 Edition, and the California Fire Code, 2010 Edition.

No building permit shall be issued pursuant to Chapter 8, Article II, of the Santa Ana Municipal Code for the construction, addition, alteration or repair of any building or structure which would result in noncompliance with the requirements of this fire code. The fire marshal and the building official shall establish administrative procedures designed to promote expeditious review of building permit applications.

The fire marshal and the building official may require such site plans, elevations, and other documentation from the applicant as may be necessary to determine such compliance and may impose such conditions on approval of an application as are necessary to assure such compliance. No building or structure subject to such review and approval shall be finally released for utility service or occupancy which is not in compliance with the building permit as approved or conditionally approved.

(Ord. No. NS-1727, §§ 1, 2, 4-16-84; Ord. No. NS-2051, § 2, 5-7-90)

No person shall violate any of the provisions or fail to comply with any of the requirements of this article. Except as otherwise provided herein, any person who shall violate any of the provisions of this article hereby adopted or fail to comply therewith, or who shall violate or fail to comply with any order made under this article, or who shall build in violation of any detailed statement of specifications or plans submitted and approved hereunder or any certificate or permit issued hereunder, or who shall fail to comply with such an order within the time fixed herein shall severally for each and every violation and noncompliance, respectively, be guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) or by imprisonment for not more than six (6) months, or by both such fine and imprisonment. The imposition of one (1) penalty for any violation shall not excuse the violation or permit it to continue; and all such persons shall be required to correct or remedy such violations or defects within a reasonable time; and when not otherwise specified, each day prohibited conditions are maintained shall constitute a separate offense. The application of the above penalty shall not be held to prevent the enforced removal of prohibited conditions.

(Ord. No. NS-1727, §§ 1, 2, 4-16-84; Ord. No. NS-2051, § 3, 5-7-90; Ord. No. NS-2274, § 2, 12-18-95)

Section 113.4 is amended to read as follows:

Section 113.4 Violation penalties.

113.4 Violation penalties. Persons who shall violate a provision of this code or shall fail to comply with any of the requirements thereof or shall fail to comply with any issued orders or notices or who shall erect, install, alter, repair or do work in violation of the approved construction documents or directive of the fire code official, or of a permit or certificate used under provisions of this code, shall be subject to penalties assessed as prescribed in the OCFA Prevention Field Services adopted fee schedule. Each day that a violation continues after due notice has been served shall be deemed a separate offense.

(a) Section 113.4.2 Infraction and misdemeanor is hereby added as follows:

113.4.2 Infraction and misdemeanor. Persons operating or maintaining any occupancy, premises or vehicle subject to this code that shall permit any fire or life safety hazard to exist on premises under their control shall be guilty of an infraction. Persons who fail to take immediate action to abate a fire or life safety hazard when ordered or notified to do so by the chief or a duly authorized representative are guilty of a misdemeanor.

(Ord. No. NS-2851, § 45, 11-18-13; Ord. No. NS-2905, § 17, 12-6-16; Ord. No. NS-2981, § 16, 12-17-19; Ord. No. NS-3032, § 15, 12-20-22; Ord. No. NS-3088, § 17, 1-20-26)

Editor's note— Ord. No. NS-2905, § 18, adopted December 6, 2016, repealed §§ 14-4—14-6, in their entirety. Former §§ 14-4—14-6 pertained to "Public safety radio system coverage—Intent and purpose," "Same—Definitions," "Same—Use and occupancy," "Same—Testing procedures," "Same—Amplification systems allowed," "Same—Costs," and "Same—Non-compliance and penalty," respectively; and were derived from Ord. No. NS-2722, § 3, adopted August 21, 2006.

(a) This section applies only to buildings, or portions thereof, which have been designated as historical property pursuant to section 30-1 of the Santa Ana Municipal Code, and which would require either the installation of an automatic sprinkler system, or the installation of one (1) or more fire hydrants with appurtenant water supply, or both, in order to comply with the California Fire Code as amended by this article, by reason of the additions, alterations or repairs or changes of occupancy proposed for such building.

(b) An automatic sprinkler system shall be installed in any portion of such building which is to be used as a place of public assemblage or a Group H occupancy, as defined in the building code of the City of Santa Ana.

(c) Subject to the overriding requirement of paragraph (b) of this subsection, changes to buildings within the scope of this section shall be subject to approval on the following standard: Installations of automatic sprinkler systems or fire hydrants shall be required only to the extent necessary to avoid an increase in the risk of fire occurring, the danger to life in the event of fire, or the difficulty of fire suppression or to avoid a prolongation of any especially hazardous situation. The need of such installations or alternative fire protection requirements shall be evaluated in view of any modifications in building safety standards due to application of the state historical buildings code, and the fire marshal shall coordinate his review with that of the building official in this regard. The fire marshal may impose alternative fire protection requirements on building changes within the scope of this section as appropriate to maintain this standard and shall waive any requirement of this section which is inconsistent therewith.

(d) The fire marshal shall give priority to building changes within the scope of this section which are submitted for his review by the community redevelopment agency.

(Ord. No. NS-2274, § 3, 12-18-95; Ord. No. NS-2810, § 53, 11-15-10)