Building codes: earthquakes: functional recovery standard.

Existing law, the California Building Standards Law, provides for the adoption of building standards by state agencies by requiring all state agencies that adopt or propose adoption of any building standard to submit the building standard to the California Building Standards Commission for approval and adoption. This bill, in addition to making specified findings and declarations, would require the Building Standards Commission and the Department of Housing and Community Development to develop, adopt, approve, codify, and publish building standards that would require buildings not already under the authority of a different state agency to be designed and built to a functional recovery standard, as defined, for earthquake loads, as specified. The bill would require the commission and the department to actively consult with interested parties, as specified, in proposing and adopting functional recovery standards. Existing law requires building standards to be administered and enforced and, whenever practicable, written on a performance basis consistent with state and nationally recognized standards for building construction in view of the use and occupancy of each structure to preserve and protect the public health and safety. This bill would revise the performance basis to include the additional performance objective to provide for timely recovery of housing and other community services after earthquakes, and would authorize local jurisdictions to enact more restrictive recovery-based standards based on local recovery needs and priorities identified by the city, county, or city and county, as specified.