Santee, CA Building Safety: Green Building Code (2026)

Ordinance 629, adopted December 10, 2025 (repealing prior Ordinance 605), adopted the 2025 California Green Building Standards Code, Part 11, Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations, as the City's Green Building Standards Code under Chapter 11.22. Section 11.22.010 ties compliance to "planning, design, operation, construction, use and occupancy of every newly constructed building or structure," subject to the exceptions carried in Chapter 11.02 of the Municipal Code. Development Services reviews CALGreen compliance as part of the standard building permit process administered under Chapter 11.04 alongside the California Building Code.

Santee does not stop at the state minimum: Section 13.10.040(J)(2) of the Zoning Code requires all new residential units, including accessory dwelling units, to meet or exceed California Green Building Standards Tier 2 Voluntary Measures, and Section 13.12.040 imposes the same Tier 2 energy-conservation threshold on new commercial buildings. Both zoning sections also require energy-conserving fixtures (reduced-consumption showerheads, water-conserving toilets) and compliance with the current California Energy Code for Climate Zone 10, the zone Santee sits in. Because the Green Building Standards Code is folded into Title 11's technical codes, the City Council sits as the appeals board for Building Official determinations: Section 113.1, as amended by Section 11.04.030(E), requires a written appeal to the City Clerk within ten days of the decision.