Added by Stats. 2025, Ch. 472, Sec. 1. (AB 1) Effective January 1, 2026.
(a)(1) On or before January 1, 2030, and every five years thereafter, the department shall consider whether to update the Safer from Wildfires regulations to include additional building hardening measures for property-level mitigation efforts and communitywide wildfire mitigation programs.
(2)If the department updates the Safer from Wildfires regulations, it shall, as a part of its first consideration, consider whether to update these regulations to include in the regulations the installation of construction materials included by the Office of the State Fire Marshal on the Building Materials Listing or in compliance with the most recent provisions of Chapter 7A of the California Building Standards Code.
(b)As part of its consideration pursuant to subdivision (a), the department shall do both of the following:
(1)Consult with the Office of Emergency Services, the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the Public Utilities Commission, and the Office of Planning and Research to identify additional building hardening measures for property-level mitigation efforts and communitywide wildfire mitigation programs to consider.
(2)Consult with relevant stakeholders to consider potential revisions to the Safer from Wildfires regulations.
(3)Develop and implement a process that allows for meaningful public participation that includes, at a minimum, all of the following:
(A)Holding at least one
public meeting to allow interested persons to submit suggestions for additional building hardening measures for property-level mitigation efforts and communitywide wildfire mitigation programs for the department to consider.
(B)Making available for public review and comment, including during at least one public meeting, a preliminary list of building hardening measures for property-level mitigation efforts and communitywide wildfire mitigation programs being considered by the department for inclusion in the Safer from Wildfires regulations.
(C)Making available to the public a final list of building hardening measures for property-level mitigation efforts and communitywide wildfire mitigation programs the department proposes to include in the list of building hardening measures identified in the Safer from Wildfires regulations before amending the regulations pursuant to the
rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code).
(c)If the department makes public a final list of building hardening measures for property-level mitigation efforts and communitywide wildfire mitigation programs to be included in the list of building hardening measures identified in the Safer from Wildfires regulations pursuant to subparagraph (C) of paragraph (3) of subdivision (b), the department shall initiate the Administrative Procedure Act rulemaking process to amend the Safer from Wildfires regulations within 30 days of publishing the final list.
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