Multiunit residential structures and mixed-use residential and commercial structures: water conservation.

Existing law, the California Building Standards Law, establishes the California Building Standards Commission within the Department of General Services and sets forth its powers and duties, including approval and adoption of building standards and codification of those standards into the California Building Standards Code, which includes the California Green Building Standards Code. Existing law requires the commission to publish, or cause to be published, editions of the California Building Standards Code in its entirety once every 3 years. Existing law establishes the Building Standards Administration Special Revolving Fund, and makes the moneys in the fund available, upon appropriation, to state entities to carry out various related provisions, as specified. Existing law requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to propose the adoption, amendment, or repeal of building standards to the California Building Standards Commission, and the department to adopt, amend, and repeal other rules and regulations for the protection of the public health, safety, and general welfare of the occupant and the public governing the erection, construction, enlargement, conversion, alteration, repair, moving, removal, demolition, occupancy, use, height, court, area, sanitation, ventilation, and maintenance of all hotels, motels, lodging houses, apartment houses, and dwellings, and buildings and structures accessory thereto, as specified. Existing law authorizes those standards to include voluntary best practice and mandatory requirements related to environmentally preferable water using devices and measures. Existing law requires the department and the commission to research, develop, and propose building standards to reduce potable water use in new residential and nonresidential buildings, including consideration of requiring installation of water reuse systems and consideration of requiring preplumbing of buildings to allow future use of recycled water, onsite treated graywater, or other alternative water sources. This bill would enact the California Multiunit Residential Structure and Mixed-Use Residential and Commercial Structure Water Conservation Act. The bill would state findings and declarations of the Legislature relating to wasted water due to plumbing leaks. The bill would require the department to investigate whether additional water conservation and efficiency measures are warranted for existing and new multifamily residential construction and mixed use commercial structures, including, but not limited to, point-of-use systems, as defined. The bill would authorize the department, if it determines that changes to the California Green Building Standards are warranted, to develop voluntary or mandatory proposals to be submitted to the commission for consideration. The bill would, upon appropriation by the Legislature, authorize the department to expend funds from the Building Standards Administration Special Revolving Fund in developing and proposing these building standards.