South Pasadena Municipal Code § 9.4 Mechanical code administration

Except as modified herein, the administration of the mechanical code shall be as set forth in SPMC 9.1 (Building code administration).

101.1 Title. Sections 9.4 and 9.4.1 of Article 1 of Chapter 9 of the SPMC shall collectively be known as the Mechanical Code of the City, may be cited as such, and will be referred to herein as “these Mechanical Regulations” or “these Mechanical Standards “or “this Mechanical Code.”

101.3—SCOPE. The provisions of the Mechanical Code shall apply to the erection, alteration, installation, repair, relocation, movement, improvement, removal connection or conversion, use or maintenance of any heating, ventilating, cooling, refrigeration systems, incinerators or other miscellaneous heat-producing appliances mechanical equipment and/or appliances or any other mechanical work regulated by the Mechanical Code within the City.

Where, in any specific case, different sections of the Mechanical Code specify different materials, methods of construction or other requirements, the most restrictive shall govern. Where there is a conflict between a general requirement and a specific requirement, the specific requirement shall be applicable.

In the event, any differences in requirements exist between the accessibility requirements of the Mechanical Code and the accessibility requirements of the California Code of Regulations, Title 24 (also referred to as the California Building Standards Code), then the California Code of Regulations shall govern.

106.1 Plan Check Requirements. When required by the building official to verify compliance with any Code, relevant laws, ordinances, rules and regulations; plans and, when deemed necessary by the building official, calculations, and other required data shall be submitted for plan review. The building official may require plans and calculations to be prepared by an engineer registered by the State to practice as such. Only after the plans have been approved may the applicant apply for a mechanical permit for such work. The building official may also require such plans be reviewed by other departments and/or divisions of the City to verify compliance with the laws and ordinances under their jurisdiction.

Separate Mechanical Code plan review is required for any of the following:

a) To verify compliance with State energy requirements when such information is not shown completely on the building plans;

• b) Installations where the aggregate BTU input capacity for either comfort heating or comfort cooling is more than 500,000 BTU;

• c) Type I or Type II commercial hoods;

• d) Parking garage exhaust ventilation systems;

• e) Product conveying duct system;

• f) Spray booths;

• g) Stair pressurization systems;

• h) Installation of fire dampers, smoke dampers and/or combination smoke/fire dampers;

• i) Air moving systems supplying air in excess of 2000 cfm and where smoke detectors are required in the duct work;

j) Any installation in a building of Type I-A, Type II-A, Type III-A, Type IV or Type V-A fire-resistive construction where penetrations are required of fire-resistive walls, floors or ceilings.

Plans, calculations, reports or documents for work regulated by any Code, relevant laws, ordinances, rules and regulations shall bear the seal, signature and number of a mechanical engineer when required by the California Business and Professions Code. A seal and number shall not be required for work authorized by the said article to be performed by a person not registered or certified as an engineer or architect.

106.3 Information Required on Mechanical plans. Plans shall be drawn to scale upon substantial paper or other material suitable to the building official shall be of sufficient clarity to indicate the nature and scope of the work proposed, and shall show in detail that the proposed construction will conform to the provisions of any Code and all relevant laws, ordinances, rules and regulations.

The first sheet of each set of plans shall give the street address of the proposed work and the name, address and telephone number of the owner and all persons who were involved in the design and preparation of the plans.

Where the scope of the proposed work involves the following, unless otherwise approved by the building official, the mechanical plans shall indicate the following:

a) A complete floor plan showing the location of all proposed mechanical equipment, duct work, vents, etc.;

b) A complete plan showing the layout, diameter and material of all proposed piping;

c) A legend of all symbols used and a list of all abbreviations used;

d) The location of all proposed inlets, outlets, diffusers, etc.;

e) The btu/Hr and/or cfm rating of all equipment;

f) Any other information requested by the building official.

Plans for buildings more than two stories in height of other than Group R-3 and Group U Occupancies shall indicate how required fireresistive integrity will be maintained where a penetration will be made for mechanical piping and similar systems.

When deemed necessary by the building official, the first sheet of each set of plans shall indicate the building Type of Construction as defined in the Building Code and the Mechanical Code in effect on the date of plan check submittal.

107.1 Mechanical permit Required. No person shall erect, alter, install, repair, move, improve, remove, connect or convert, or cause the same to be done, any mechanical equipment without first obtaining a mechanical permit from the building official.

The issuance of a permit without first requiring a plan review shall not prevent the building official from requesting plans deemed necessary to verify that the work performed under said permit complies with any Code and all relevant laws, ordinances, rules and regulations.

107.2 Work Exempted from Mechanical permit. A mechanical permit shall not be required for the following:

a) Installation of portable appliances or equipment used for heating ventilating, or cooling (refrigeration or evaporative) which does not require either a Building Permit or an Electrical Permit to install;

b) Repair or replacement of steam, hot, or chilled water piping, and refrigeration piping which were previously permitted and inspected under a valid mechanical permit;

c) Repair or replacement of components to a refrigeration system which were previously permitted and inspected under a valid Mechanical permit;

d) Repair or replacement of any component, part or assembly of an appliance which does not alter its original approval and complies with the other applicable requirements of the Mechanical Code;

e) Any unit refrigerating system.

Exemption from the permit requirements of the Mechanical Code shall not be deemed to grant authorization for any work to be done in any manner in violation of the provisions of other laws or ordinances.

(Ord. No. 2308, § 1, 2016.)

Division I Sections 1.2.0 through 1.14.0 of Chapter 1, Chapters 2 through 17 and Appendices B, C and D of 2025 California Mechanical Code, Title 24 Part 4 of California Code of Regulations, as published by the California Building Standards Commission, is hereby adopted by reference pursuant to the provisions of Sections 50022.1 through 50022.10 of the Government Code of the state of California as though fully set forth herein and made a part of the South Pasadena Municipal Code with the same force and effect as though set out in full, including all of the regulations, revisions, conditions and terms contained therein.

The administration of the mechanical code shall be as set forth in SPMC 9.1.

In accordance with Section 50022.6 of the California Government Code, not less than one copy of said California Mechanical Code together with any and all amendments thereto proposed by the city, has been and is now filed in the office of the community development department, shall remain on file with the building official, and shall collectively be known as the city of South Pasadena Mechanical Code and may be cited as Chapter 9, Article 1 Section 9.4.1 of the city of South Pasadena Municipal Code. (Ord. No. 2308, § 1, 2016; Ord. No. 2337, § 5, 2019; Ord. No. 2341, § 5, 2020; Ord. No. 2370, § 5, 2022; Ord. No. 2371, § 5, 2022; Ord. No. 2407, § 7, 2025.)