Assembly Members Schultz and Rivas have proposed a six-year moratorium on local modifications to California's residential building standards, aiming to address the state's housing crisis through greater uniformity in construction requirements. The legislation would restrict cities and counties from altering state building codes for residential units between June 2025 and June 2031, except in specific circumstances.

Under the bill, local governments could only modify residential building standards if the changes match those in effect as of January 2025, are deemed necessary by the California Building Standards Commission as emergency health and safety measures, or relate to home hardening requirements. The Commission would be required to reject any local modifications that do not meet these criteria. The legislation also temporarily suspends the standard 18-month code adoption cycle for residential building standards.

The measure includes provisions for fire protection districts to adopt home hardening standards and allows the State Fire Marshal to propose related building requirements during the moratorium period. The bill's findings cite California's housing availability and affordability challenges, positioning standardized building requirements as one component of addressing these issues. As an urgency statute, the legislation would take effect immediately upon passage.

The restrictions would apply to all California municipalities, including charter cities, with the Legislature determining that uniform residential building standards constitute a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair. This represents a departure from current law, which permits local jurisdictions to modify state building standards based on local climatic, geological, or topographical conditions.