Chapter 7.94
GREEN BUILDING CODE
Sections:
7.94.030 Adoption of the Green Building Code.
7.94.050 Section 202, Chapter 2 Definitions—Amended.
7.94.060 Section 4.106.4 Electric vehicle (EV) charging for new construction—Deleted and replaced.
7.94.070 Sections 4.106.5, 4.106.5.1, and 4.106.5.2 All-Electric Buildings—Added.
7.94.080 Section 4.107.1, Division 4.1, Chapter 4, Future access for solar systems—Added.
7.94.090 Sections 5.106.5.3 and 5.106.5.3.1 Electric vehicle (EV) charging—Deleted and replaced.
7.94.100 Section 5.106.13, 5.106.13.1 and 5.106.13.2 All electric buildings—Added.
7.94.110 Section 5.107.1, Division 5.1, Chapter 5, Future access for solar systems—Added.
7.94.010 Title.
The green building standards codes adopted by Section 7.94.030 and the provisions of this chapter shall constitute the Dublin Green Building Code and may be referred to as such. (Ord. 13-22 § 13 (Exh. L))
7.94.020 Purpose.
A. To improve public health, safety, and general welfare by enhancing the design and construction of buildings through the use of building concepts having a reduced negative impact or positive environmental impact and encouraging sustainable construction practices in the following categories:
1. Planning and design;
2. Energy efficiency;
3. Water efficiency and conservation;
4. Material conservation and resource efficiency;
5. Environmental quality.
B. The purpose of this code is not to create or otherwise establish or designate any particular class or groups of persons who will or should be especially protected or benefited by the terms of this code. (Ord. 13-22 § 13 (Exh. L))
7.94.030 Adoption of the Green Building Code.
A. The 2022 California Green Building Standards Code, Part 11, Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations, a portion of the California Building Standards Code, as defined in the California Health and Safety Code Section 18901 et seq. (hereinafter referred to as the “state code”), and any rules and regulations promulgated pursuant thereto, as referenced in and adopted pursuant to California Health and Safety Code Sections 17922 and 18935, are hereby adopted and incorporated by reference herein.
Copies of the adopted codes have been and are now filed in the Office of the Building Official, 100 Civic Plaza, Dublin, California, for use and examination by the public. Said codes are adopted by reference pursuant to Section 50022.4 et seq. of the Government Code of the state of California, and the codes are hereby adopted and incorporated as fully as if set out at length herein, and from the date on which the ordinance codified in this chapter shall take effect, the provisions thereof shall be controlling within the limits of the city of Dublin.
B. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection A of this section, the state code is amended as set forth in Sections 7.94.050 through 7.94.080. (Ord. 13-22 § 13 (Exh. L))
7.94.040 Scope.
A. The provisions of this code shall apply to the planning, design, operation, construction, use and occupancy of every newly constructed building or structure, unless otherwise indicated in this code, within the city.
B. It is not the intent that this code substitute or be identified as meeting the certification requirements of any green building program. (Ord. 13-22 § 13 (Exh. L))
7.94.050 Section 202, Chapter 2 Definitions—Amended.
The following definitions are hereby added to Section 202 of the state code to read as follows:
ALL-ELECTRIC BUILDING. A building that contains no combustion equipment or plumbing for combustion equipment within the building or building property lines, and instead uses electric appliances for service.
COMMERCIAL FOOD HEAT-PROCESSING EQUIPMENT. Equipment used in a food establishment for heat-processing food or utensils and that produces grease vapors, steam, fumes, smoke, or odors that are required to be removed through a local exhaust ventilation system, as defined in the California Mechanical Code.
COMBUSTION EQUIPMENT. Any equipment or appliance used for space heating, water heating, cooking, clothes drying and/or lighting that uses fuel gas.
ELECTRIC HEATING APPLIANCE. A device that produces heat energy to create a warm environment by the application of electric power to resistance elements, refrigerant compressors, or dissimilar material junctions, as defined in the California Mechanical Code.
FUEL GAS. A gas that is natural, manufactured, liquefied petroleum, or a mixture of these.
(Ord. 13-22 § 13 (Exh. L))
7.94.060 Section 4.106.4 Electric vehicle (EV) charging for new construction—Deleted and replaced.
Section 4.106.4 is deleted and replaced with Section A4.106.8 to read:
A4.106.8 Electric vehicle (EV) charging for new construction is adopted as mandatory at the Tier 2 level.
(Ord. 13-22 § 13 (Exh. L))
7.94.070 Sections 4.106.5, 4.106.5.1, and 4.106.5.2 All-Electric Buildings—Added.
Sections 4.106.5, 4.106.5.1, and 4.106.5.2 are added to read:
4.106.5 All-electric buildings. New construction buildings and qualifying alteration projects shall comply with Section 4.106.5.1 or 4.106.5.2 so that they do not use combustion equipment or are ready to accommodate installation of electric heating appliances.
4.106.5.1. New construction and qualifying alteration projects. All newly constructed buildings shall be all-electric buildings. Qualifying alteration projects shall be limited to additions or alterations that remove 50 percent or more of the existing exterior walls of a dwelling and additions that increase the square footage of the structure by more than 50 percent.
The final determination whether a project meets the definition of a qualifying alteration project shall be made by the Building Official.
Exception:
If the applicant establishes that there is not an all-electric prescriptive compliance pathway for the building under the California Building Energy Efficiency Standards, and that the building is not able to achieve the performance compliance standard applicable to the building under the Energy Efficiency Standards using commercially available technology and an approved calculation method, then the Building Official may grant a modification. The applicant shall comply with the following and Section 4.106.5.2.
Inactive Fuel Gas Infrastructure may be extended to spaces that are anticipated to qualify for the exceptions contained in this chapter. The inactive Fuel Gas Infrastructure shall not be activated, have a meter installed, or otherwise used unless the exemptions specified in this chapter have been confirmed as part of the issuance of a building permit. If the Fuel Gas Infrastructure is no longer serving one of the exceptions contained in this chapter, it shall either be capped, otherwise terminated, or removed by the entity previously entitled to the exemption, in a manner pursuant to all applicable Codes.
The Building Official shall have the authority to approve alternative materials and methods of construction as per the Dublin Municipal Code, Chapter 7.28.
4.106.5.2 Requirements for combustion equipment.
Where combustion equipment is allowed under subsection 4.106.5.1, the construction drawings shall indicate electrical infrastructure and physical space accommodating the future installation of an electrical heating appliance in the following ways, as certified by a registered design professional or licensed electrical contractor:
1. Branch circuit wiring, electrically isolated and designed to serve all electrical heating appliances in accordance with manufacturer requirements and the California Electrical Code, including the appropriate voltage, phase, minimum amperage, and an electrical receptacle or junction box within five feet of the appliance that is accessible with no obstructions. Appropriately sized conduit may be installed in lieu of conductors; and
2. Labeling of both ends of the unused conductors or conduit shall be with “For Future Electrical Appliance”; and
3. Reserved circuit breakers in the electrical panel for each branch circuit, appropriately labeled (i.e. “Reserved for Future Electric Range”), and positioned on the opposite end of the panel supply conductor connection; and
4. Connected subpanels, panelboards, switchboards, busbars, and transformers shall be sized to serve the future electrical heating appliances. The electrical capacity requirements shall be adjusted for demand factors in accordance with the California Electric Code; and
5. Physical space for future electrical heating appliances, including equipment footprint, and if needed a pathway reserved for routing of ductwork to heat pump evaporator(s), shall be depicted on the construction drawings. The footprint necessary for future electrical heating appliances may overlap with non-structural partitions and with the location of currently designed combustion equipment.
(Ord. 13-22 § 13 (Exh. L))
7.94.080 Section 4.107.1, Division 4.1, Chapter 4, Future access for solar systems—Added.
A new Section 4.107.1 is added to read:
4.107.1 Future Access for Solar Systems. A minimum one-inch (25.4 mm) electrical conduit shall be provided from the electrical service equipment to the solar zone as defined by the California Energy Code, Title 24, Part 6, Section 110.10. Where a solar zone is not required by the California Energy Code, the conduit location shall be subject to approval of the Building Official.
Exception: Where solar is installed as part of the original construction and prior to first occupancy.
(Ord. 13-22 § 13 (Exh. L))
7.94.090 Sections 5.106.5.3 and 5.106.5.3.1 Electric vehicle (EV) charging—Deleted and replaced.
Sections 5.106.5.3 and 5.106.5.3.1 are deleted and replaced with Section A5.106.5.3 to read:
Section A5.106.5.3 Electric vehicle (EV) charging for new construction is adopted as mandatory at the Tier 2 level.
(Ord. 13-22 § 13 (Exh. L))
7.94.100 Section 5.106.13, 5.106.13.1 and 5.106.13.2 All electric buildings—Added.
Section 5.106.13, 5.106.13.1 and 5.106.13.2 are added to read:
5.106.13 All-electric buildings. New construction buildings and qualifying alteration projects shall comply with Section 5.106.13.1 or 5.106.13.2 so that they do not use combustion equipment or are ready to facilitate future electrification.
5.106.13.1. New construction and qualifying alteration projects. All newly constructed buildings shall be all-electric buildings. Qualifying alteration projects shall be limited to additions or alterations that remove 50 percent or more of the existing exterior walls of a structure and additions that increase the square footage of the structure by more than 50 percent.
Tenant improvements shall not be considered new construction. The final determination whether a project meets the definition of qualifying alteration project shall be made by the Building Official.
Exceptions:
1. Nonresidential buildings containing kitchens located in a place of public accommodation, as defined in the California Building Code Chapter 2, may apply to the Building Official for a modification to install commercial food heat-processing equipment served by fuel gas. The Building Official may grant the modification, provided the following findings are made:
a) The applicant has a business-related need to cook with combustion equipment; and
b) The applicant has installed energy efficient equipment based on Energy Star or California Energy Wise qualifications, as available.
c) The applicant will comply with Section 5.106.13.2.
2. If the applicant establishes that there is not an all-electric prescriptive compliance pathway for the building under the California Building Energy Efficiency Standards, and that the building is not able to achieve the performance compliance standard applicable to the building under the Energy Efficiency Standards using commercially available technology and an approved calculation method, then the Building Official may grant a modification. The applicant shall comply with following and Section 5.106.13.2:
Inactive Fuel Gas Infrastructure may be extended to spaces that are anticipated to qualify for the exceptions contained in this chapter. The inactive Fuel Gas Infrastructure shall not be activated, have a meter installed, or otherwise be used unless the exemptions specified in this chapter have been confirmed as part of the issuance of a building permit. If the Fuel Gas Infrastructure is no longer serving one of the exceptions contained in this chapter, it shall either be capped, otherwise terminated, or removed by the entity previously entitled to the exemption, in a manner pursuant to all applicable Codes.
The Building Official shall have the authority to approve alternative materials and methods of construction as per the Dublin Municipal Code, Chapter 7.28.
5.106.13.2. Requirements for combustion equipment.
Where combustion equipment is allowed under Subsection 5.106.13.1, the construction drawings shall indicate electrical infrastructure and physical space accommodating the future installation of an electrical heating appliance in the following ways, as certified by a registered design professional or licensed electrical contractor:
1. Branch circuit wiring, electrically isolated and designed to serve all electrical heating appliances in accordance with manufacturer requirements and the California Electrical Code, including the appropriate voltage, phase, minimum amperage, and an electrical receptacle or junction box within five feet of the appliance that is accessible with no obstructions. Appropriately sized conduit may be installed in lieu of conductors; and
2. Labeling of both ends of the unused conductors or conduit shall be with “For Future Electrical Appliance”; and
3. Reserved circuit breakers in the electrical panel for each branch circuit, appropriately labeled (i.e. “Reserved for Future Electric Range”), and positioned on the opposite end of the panel supply conductor connection; and
4. Connected subpanels, panelboards, switchboards, busbars, and transformers shall be sized to serve the future electrical heating appliances. The electrical capacity requirements shall be adjusted for demand factors in accordance with the California Electric Code; and
5. Physical space for future electrical heating appliances, including equipment footprint, and if needed a pathway reserved for routing of ductwork to heat pump evaporator(s), shall be depicted on the construction drawings. The footprint necessary for future electrical heating appliances may overlap with non-structural partitions and with the location of currently designed combustion equipment.
(Ord. 13-22 § 13 (Exh. L))
7.94.110 Section 5.107.1, Division 5.1, Chapter 5, Future access for solar systems—Added.
A new Section 5.107.1 is added to read:
5.107.1 Future Access for Solar Systems. Install conduit from the solar zone as defined by the California Energy Code, Title 24, Part 6, Section 110.10 to a location within the building identified as suitable for future installation of a charge controller (regulator) and inverter.
Exception: Where solar is installed as part of the original construction and prior to first occupancy.
(Ord. 13-22 § 13 (Exh. L))