Davis, CA Building Safety: Green Building Code (2026)
Key Facts
- New homes
- 8-gauge EV charging wiring required
- Mixed-fuel homes
- 9.5 to 10 point LSC margin required
- Nonresidential solar
- Sized to about 80% of modeled load
- EV chargers
- Counts set by tables in § 8.01.110
- Enforcement
- Same Article 8.01 permit and penalty system
Summary
Davis layers a local Energy Efficiency Reach Code and CALGreen amendments on top of the state's mandatory Green Building Standards Code: new single-family homes must pre-wire for Level 2 EV charging, mixed-fuel homes must hit tighter performance margins, and new nonresidential buildings must add rooftop solar.
The 2025 Edition of the California Green Building Standards Code, as adopted by the California Building Standards Commission in the 2025 California Building Standards Code, Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations, ... with the amendments set forth in Section 8.01.090. ... Single Family Residential developments are required to pre-install 8 Gauge wiring to support Level 2 electric vehicle charging. ... In addition to all requirements of the California Energy Code applicable to new single-family dwellings and new low-rise multifamily dwellings, mixed-fuel dwellings (dwellings that use natural gas or propane as fuel for space heating, water heating (including pools and spas), cooking appliances, or clothes drying appliances or is plumbed for such equipment) shall comply with the following: ... New Single-Family Dwellings. New mixed-fuel, single-family dwellings shall be required to meet a Long-Term System Cost (LSC) compliance margin equivalent to a 9.5-point performance improvement as defined by the 2025 California Energy Code.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4915048; v22 updated 2026-05-19).
Full Breakdown
110 that goes beyond the state energy code's minimums. 090(b) requires all covered buildings to meet the Green Code's Tier 1 requirements, except that energy efficiency is instead measured against the local reach code. 1 so every new single-family residential development must pre-install 8-gauge wiring to support a future Level 2 electric vehicle charger. 5-point Long-Term System Cost performance margin and pre-wire panel capacity for a future heat-pump water heater, induction cooktop, electric dryer, and heat-pump space heating, while new low-rise multifamily mixed-fuel buildings must hit a 10-point margin with the same future-electrification wiring.
110 extends a parallel Tier 1 energy standard, plus a rooftop solar requirement sized to roughly 80 percent of modeled electric load or 15 watts per square foot, to new nonresidential and high-rise multifamily buildings, along with EV charger counts set by the tables in that section. 160.
Violations & Fines
Building a new home, remodel, or nonresidential project that skips the required EV pre-wiring, reach-code energy performance margin, or rooftop solar sizing is treated as noncompliant construction under Article 8.01 and can be enforced as a misdemeanor under Section 8.01.160, up to $1,000 and six months in jail per day, in addition to any plan-check correction the chief building official requires before permit sign-off.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Davis require EV charging wiring in new homes?
What is Davis's Energy Efficiency Reach Code?
Do commercial buildings in Davis need solar panels?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Davis
California rules heatmap·Compare Davis to another location·View the California building safety overview
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