California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed legislation permanently establishing the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials’ model plumbing and mechanical codes as the basis for the development of the California Buildings Standards Code.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed legislation permanently establishing the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials’ model plumbing and mechanical codes as the basis for the development of the California Buildings Standards Code.

Introduced by Sen. Ron Calderon (D-Montebello), Senate Bill 1473 seeks to clarify who has authority to develop building standards, including green building standards, for particular types of buildings. It includes intent that the measure will not affect the ability of local governments to adopt changes to the building code.

Sec. 5 of the bill adds Section 18938.3 to the Health and Safety Code, to read: “(…) Those model codes designated in Sections 17922 and 18938 that continue to be published and updated shall continue to serve as the basis for the California Building Standards Code.” The bill establishes the Uniform Plumbing Code and the Uniform Mechanical Code, which were the basis for the 2007 triennial edition of the California Plumbing Code and California Mechanical Code, as the model codes for all future editions of the California code.