SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The California Building Standards Commission has adopted new building standards that will better align the state with the rest of the country. The new codes incorporate international building and fire standards with new California-specific codes such as the latest seismic standards and regulations for wildfire-prone areas.

California state standards for new buildings in the past several years were based in part on the Uniform Building Code, last updated in 1997.

The new code will be published in July and become effective Jan. 1, 2008. Besides the new international codes, the publication will include portions of the 2005 National Electrical Code, the 2006 Uniform Mechanical Code, and the 2006 Uniform Plumbing Code.

More information can be found at www.bsc.ca.gov.

Publication date: 03/26/2007