Committee advances San Francisco's adoption of 2022 building codes

The Land Use and Transportation Committee voted Oct. 17 to recommend that the Board of Supervisors forward a package of ordinances to adopt the 2022 California Building Standards Code as amended for San Francisco, with the Department of Building Inspection (DBI) saying most local changes are nontechnical.

Michelle Yu, an engineer in DBI’s Technical Services Division, told the committee that the Triennial Code Adoption carries forward San Francisco’s prior local amendments where needed, removes redundant language that is now codified at the state level, corrects references and typographical errors, and updates chapter numbering to align with the state and national model codes. She said the changes are scheduled to be effective Jan. 1, 2023.

Yu said the package removes obsolete sunset provisions (including a lead‑paint notification requirement whose sunset date has passed) and streamlines administrative procedures to facilitate electronic plan review. Assistant Director Christine Kasparek said DBI will notify the design and contracting communities through quarterly public advisory forums, an email listserv of roughly 7,000 customers and updated codebooks. DBI staff said a searchable, user‑friendly engine for the San Francisco code is on their roadmap.

Supervisor Mirna Melgar moved to forward items 1–6 with a positive recommendation to the full Board; the roll call showed Peskin — aye, Preston — absent, Melgar — aye, and the motion passed.

What happens next: the package will be scheduled for the full Board of Supervisors (items acted upon at the committee are expected on the Oct. 25 agenda unless otherwise noted). If approved, the new local ordinance text will be transmitted to the California Building Standards Commission as required by state law.