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San Marcos, CA Building Safety: Green Building Code (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Adopted code
2025 California Green Building Code Standards
Title/Part
Title 24, Part 11, Chapters 1-8
Local amendments
None; adopted by reference as written
Enforced with
Building, Energy, and Existing Building Codes
Governing section
SMMC § 17.28.010

Summary

San Marcos adopts the 2025 California Green Building Code Standards wholesale under Municipal Code Section 17.28.010, pulling in Title 24 Part 11's Chapters 1 through 8 plus Appendices A4 and A5 by reference, with no local carve-outs written into the chapter.

The 2025 California Green Building Code Standards, California Code of Regulations, Title 24, Part 11, Chapters 1 through 8, and Appendices A4 and A5, as published by the International Code Council is adopted by reference.

(Ord. No. 2016-1431, 10-25-2016; Ord. No. 2019-1478, Exh. A, § 1.K, 10-22-2019; Ord. No. 2022-1526, § 1.K(Exh. A), 10-25-2022; Ord. No. 2025-1575, § 1.I(Exh. B), 1-13-2026)

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 14 Update 1).

Full Breakdown

28 of the San Marcos Municipal Code, most recently updated by Ordinance No. 010. 28 contains no separate local amendment sections beneath the adoption clause, meaning San Marcos applies CALGreen's statewide mandatory measures, covering water efficiency, storm water management, material conservation, indoor air quality, and construction waste diversion, exactly as the state edition writes them. 010, so a new residential or commercial project in San Marcos is checked against CALGreen's mandatory provisions at the same plan check and inspection stages as the rest of Title 24.

The City Council periodically re-adopts the chapter to track each new state code cycle, most recently doing so alongside the broader Title 24 update effective under Ordinance No. 2025-1575.

Violations & Fines

CALGreen compliance is checked at plan check and verified at inspection alongside the rest of the adopted Title 24 codes; a project that doesn't meet CALGreen's mandatory measures, such as required construction waste diversion or water-efficiency fixtures, won't clear plan check or final inspection until it's corrected, and the Building Official can withhold a certificate of occupancy for noncompliant work under the same enforcement authority used for Building Code violations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does San Marcos have its own green building rules?
Not separately. Section 17.28.010 adopts the state's 2025 California Green Building Code Standards, Title 24 Part 11, by reference with no local amendments added underneath it, so the mandatory statewide CALGreen measures apply exactly as the state wrote them.
What does CALGreen require for new construction in San Marcos?
The adopted 2025 standards cover mandatory measures like water efficiency, storm water controls, building material conservation, indoor air quality, and construction waste diversion; since San Marcos adopted the code without local carve-outs, the statewide mandatory checklist applies to covered projects citywide.
How does the green building code interact with San Marcos's other building codes?
CALGreen is checked at the same plan check and inspection stages as the City's other Title 24 codes, including the 2025 California Building Code under Section 17.08.010 and the Energy Code under Section 17.04.010, all adopted together as part of the same Title 24 update cycle.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in San Marcos

All San Marcos rules

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