The state of California is halting changes on residential building codes for the next six years, an action that was signed into law when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 130 on June 30.

From October 1, 2025, through June 1, 2031, the California Building Standards Commission and local governments will be prohibited from adopting or modifying residential building standards unless those changes fall within a narrow range of exemptions.

The bill was fast-tracked after the 2025 Southern California wildfires collectively destroyed more than 13,000 homes in Los Angeles County, exacerbating a severe housing shortage and affordability crisis that has been building in the state for decades.

According to legislative analysis, frequent building code changes over the last 15 years have together added an estimated $50,000 to $100,000 per residential unit in upfront building costs.

However, immediately following the devastating fires, to speed up building in affected areas, Gov. Newsom signed an executive order temporarily suspending environmental regulations, including the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). And that action demonstrated that streamlining such regulations could be key in recovery efforts, making a more permanent legislative solution more palatable for many lawmakers.

The passage of AB 130 has several key implications: Among the most impactful of the consequences resulting from the moratorium on codes is that cities and counties will be unable to adopt or enforce new “reach codes.” A reach code is a local ordinance that sets energy efficiency requirements exceeding the minimum standards of the state's building energy code. This means that for residential projects, including the installation of new pools, the standards in place on September 30, 2025, will remain in effect for the duration of the freeze.

That freeze likely provides certainty for pool builders and residential developers, who will not have to contend with frequent, and often stricter, updates to local building standards over the next several years.

For example, in recent years, some cities and counties have passed ordinances requiring the installation of all-electric pool heating systems, effectively banning natural gas heaters for new pool construction.

While electric heat pump pool heaters are highly efficient, their higher initial cost compared to gas heaters and different installation requirements (such as needing a larger electrical panel) add significant expense and complexity to a project.

Prior to theAB 130 freeze, Northern California cities like Berkeley and Oakland were studying and implementing similar “all-electric” reach codes.

And while the state's Title 24 Energy Code already mandates high-efficiency, variable-speed pool pumps, some local reach codes in cities like Santa Monica, using an “Energy Performance Approach,” have pushed for even higher efficiency metrics.

These measures forced builders to use specific, often more expensive, pump models or configure them in a manner that satisfied local requirements, adding to the total project cost.

And localities involved in collaborative programs like the Bay Area Reach Codes initiative, such as Campbell, Los Gatos, and Mountain View, often had more detailed review processes for energy-related aspects of construction.

In addition to increased costs, the administrative burden for complying with each city's unique reach code has been estimated to hamper pool construction, leading to project delays. From several weeks to a few months, delays in swimming pool construction projects have stemmed from a combination of administrative and design-related hurdles.

That’s because complex permit reviews take time, as each application requires verifying that the project complies with local reach codes. If the project does not meet local requirements, it takes additional time to correct design flaws and resubmit plans for additional review cycles. And for builders operating in multiple municipalities, staying up-to-date on each city’s specific reach codes is a significant challenge, leading to non-compliant submissions, which inevitably lead to revisions and additional time spent in the permitting process.

Meanwhile, there are also sourcing delays. If a builder planned to use the more common gas-powered heater, there could be delays in obtaining the required heat pump. There could also be costly delays in upgrading the home’s electrical panel. And if the reach code required integrating renewable energy sources, additional engineering challenges are created.

Ultimately, what might have been a 6-week permitting process could easily stretch into a 4-month process when dealing with the complexities and resubmissions required by some of these reach codes.

With the passage of AB 130, which prioritizes housing production over local environmental standards, the era of broad local control over residential building standards has been paused.

Exceptions exist for municipalities where residential reach codes were officially adopted and in effect before October 1, 2025. When the 2025 California Building Standards Code (CBSC) goes into effect in January 2026, these municipalities will need to re-adopt their reach codes, with the key caveat that the local standard must be found to be “substantially equivalent” to what was in effect on September 30, 2025. Such municipalities may not impose stricter reach codes, and furthermore, local reach codes will not be automatically renewed; specific action must be taken to maintain a local reach code standard.

Other exceptions also allow for modifications to the freeze on building codes. These include:

• Greenhouse gas reduction strategy: If a city has a general plan that specifically references emissions reduction strategies and was adopted on or before June 10, 2025, it may be able to justify adopting a new or revised reach code.

• Emergency standards: The freeze does not apply to code changes deemed necessary for public health or safety in an emergency.

This was a key component for the state to allow rapid rebuilding following the 2025 fires.

• Home hardening: The law explicitly allows updates related to home hardening for fire prevention.

AB 130 incorporates policy proposed in AB 306, a bill that was supported by the California Pool and Hot Tub Association throughout the legislative process because recent local building code standards have created costly uncertainty for pool and spa contractors.

According to a statement from the CPSA, “By freezing new local standards until 2031, AB 130 delivers consistency across jurisdictions, lowers compliance risk, and creates a more predictable permitting environment for residential pool and spa projects.”