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Building Codes

Burbank adopts and enforces the 2022 California Building Code. Local amendments are found in Title 9 of the Burbank Municipal Code.

Burbank has adopted the 2022 California Building Code with local amendments and is in effect as of January 1, 2023.  Local amendments will be available in Title 9 of the Burbank Municipal Code on January 1, 2023.  Alternatively, ordinance No. 22-3,981 that includes Title 9 with the approved local amendments can referenced.

All applications received by Building & Safety prior to December 30, 2022, no later than 12 p.m. (noon), and project files uploaded prior to December 31, 2022, will be reviewed under the 2019 California Building Standards Code. All new projects that submit a building permit application on or after January 1, 2023, are subject to review under the new 2022 California Building Standards Code and local amendments.


 
The 2022 California Building Standards Code includes these main parts:
2022 California Building Code (CBC)
2022 California Residential Code (CRC)
2022 California Electrical Code (CEC)
2022 California Mechanical Code (CMC)
2022 California Plumbing Code (CPC)
2022 CALGreen
2022 Building Energy Efficiency Standards

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a Federal civil rights law that prohibits the exclusion of people with disabilities from everyday activities, such as buying an item at the store, watching a movie in a theater, enjoying a meal at a local restaurant, exercising at the local health club or having their car serviced at a local garage. To meet the goals of the ADA, the law established requirements for private businesses of all sizes. These requirements first went into effect on January 26, 1992, and continue for both for-profit and non-profit organizations.

The Department of Justice revised regulations implementing the ADA. New rules took effect on March 15, 2011. Inormation on the changes is found is ADA Update: A Primer for Small Business (PDF) from the Department of Justice.

A Certified Access Specialist (CASp) certified through the Division of the State Architect (DSA) may be hired to inspect buildings and sites for compliance with applicable state and federal construction-related accessibility standards.To learn more about the services of a CASp, visit the State of California Division of the State Architect website.

For information on Accessibility regulations, please visit the U.S. Department of Justice's website at http://www.ada.gov/

To get answers to questions about the ADA or to learn more about the law, call the Department of Justice ADA Information Line, toll-free at (800) 514-0301 voice and (800) 514-0383 TDD.

The state building code requires the following construction projects to divert and recycle at least 65% of the construction and demolition debris generated:

  • All Demolitions 
  • All New Buildings
  • Non-Residential projects:
    Additions of 1,000 square feet or more.
    Alterations, Remodels and Tenant Improvements with a permit valuation of $200,000 or more.
  • Residential: Additions and alterations that increase the building's conditioned area, volume or size.

Fee:  A non-refundable administrative fee is paid at time of permit issuance, plus a refundable minimum deposit per ton with a cap of $1,000 for residential and $5,000 for nonresidential projects.  The deposit will be refunded upon presentation of recycling receipts to the Building Division within 90 days of permit final.  Deposits on expired permits are subject to forfeiture. 

For further details on program specifics, please check the Construction and Demolition Debris Diversion Reference Manual (PDF) and List of Certified C&D Facilities in the greater Los Angeles area.

New construction, additions and alterations projects must comply with state Building Energy Efficiency Standards. Standards are categorized by Residential and Non-Residential buildings and then by the scope of work. 

Lead-based paint is defined as a hazard and regulations apply.

For Remodelers, Renovators, Contractor, & Landlords

Federal law requires distribution of a lead hazard information pamphlet (PDF) before starting a renovation.

The California Contractor's State License Board provides important information for contractors who work on pre-1978 buildings on its website. Training for your personnel may be required.

New federal lead-based paint regulations apply to you if:
  • Your work involves pre-1978 houses or apartments.
  • You receive any form of compensation for your work.
  • You disturb more than two square feet of painted surfaces.
  • Your work is not specifically excluded from this law.

Specific requirements depend on the following criteria:

In owner-occupied housing you must:
Provide an EPA-approved lead information to owner and get written acknowledgment of receipt, or mail the pamphlet to owner seven days prior to renovation with certificate of mailing.

In tenant-occupied housing you must:
Provide an EPA-approved pamphlet to both building owner and adult occupant, or mail the pamphlet to owner and occupants seven days prior to renovation with certificate of mailing.
If attempted delivery to adult occupant fails, you may leave the pamphlet at the unit.

For renovations in common areas of multi-family housing, you must:

  • Provide an EPA-approved pamphlet to building owner or mail the pamphlet to owner seven days prior to renovation with certificate of mailing.
  • Provide notice to each tenant describing the nature/location/timing of renovation and make available EPA-approved pamphlet free upon request.

Links

More information is available from the Environmental Protection Agency's website at https://www.epa.gov/lead.
and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program at 800-524-5323 or http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/lead/.

The City has two mandatory and two voluntary seismic retrofitting ordinances:
 

Mandatory

  • Unreinforced Masonry Buildings
  • Reinforced Concrete Wall and/or Reinforced Masonry Wall Buildings with Flexible Diaphragms

Voluntary

  • Seismic Strengthening of Cripple Walls and Sill Plate Anchorage of Light, Wood-Frame Residential Buildings 
  • Earthquake Hazard Reduction in Existing Wood Frame Residential Buildings with Soft, Weak or Open Front Walls (Soft-Story) 
  • Welded Steel Moment Frame Buildings
  • Non-Ductile Concrete Buildings
A Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) is required for construction projects that disturb more than one acre of developed or undeveloped land. In addition, CALGreen requires a SWPPP for certain projects that are less than one acre.

All construction projects, big and small, must use Best Management Practices (BMP) whether or not a SWPPP is required for issuance of a permit.

For details, check the California State Water Resources Control Board web site.
Swimming pools shall comply with drowning protections and anti-syphon requirements.
Site Requirements (PDF)
Fence Requirements (PDF)
Drowning Prevention - California Department of Public Health
Construction projects subject to CALGreen shall develop a water budget for landscape irrigation that conforms to the California Department of Resources Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO). Other projects must comply with the requirements of SB407 and local ordinances that require installation and use of water conserving fixtures and fittings. 

The City adopted the original wood roof removal ordinance in 1992. Ordinance 3296 required all exposed wood shake or wood shingle roofs in the Fire Hazard Severity Zone to be removed by August 14, 2005, and all wood shakes and wood shingles in the rest of the City, even those covered by layer(s) of composition shingles, had to be removed by August 12, 2012.

The City Council extended the deadline for compliance by two years, until August 14, 2014, for roofs with exposed wood shakes or shingles. The deadline for roofs with wood hsakes or wood shingles that were re-roofed with asphalt or composition shingles was extended until August 14, 2020. 

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