Glendale, California building code

Glendale enforces 2025 CBC, T24 Pt 2 based on 2024 IBC with 2 local amendments on top (Ord. 6043 (Building and Safety Code) / Ord. 6044 (Green Building/Energy reach code)). The amendments are the part that gets sets corrected. The state edition is only the floor. Glendale sits in Los Angeles County.

Current edition
2025 Title 24
Prior edition
2022 Title 24

Edition changeover: Projects with a complete application on or before 2025-12-31 may still be reviewed under the 2022 Title 24.

Adopted code and local amendments by discipline

Adopted code editions and local amendments by discipline
DisciplineAdopted codeLocal amendment
Building2025 CBC, T24 Pt 2 based on 2024 IBCGlendale local amendments, Ord. 6043 (Building and Safety Code) / Ord. 6044 (Green Building/Energy reach code)Local text supersedes the state code
Residential2025 CRC, T24 Pt 2.5 based on 2024 IRCn/a
Existing buildings2025 CEBC, T24 Pt 10 based on 2024 IEBCn/a
Fire2025 CFC, T24 Pt 9 based on 2024 IFCn/a
Electrical2025 CEC, T24 Pt 3 based on 2023 NECn/a
Mechanical2025 CMC, T24 Pt 4 based on 2024 UMCn/a
Plumbing2025 CPC, T24 Pt 5 based on 2024 UPCn/a
Energy2025 Energy Code, T24 Pt 6n/a
Green / sustainability2025 CALGreen, T24 Pt 11n/a
Accessibility2025 CBC Ch 11A/11B, T24 Pt 2n/a
Wildland-urban interface2025 CA-WUIC, T24 Pt 7 based on 2024 IWUICn/a
Historical buildings2025 CHBC, T24 Pt 8n/a
Administrative2025 CAC, T24 Pt 1n/a
ZoningNo state-adopted codeLocal zoning ordinance (city or county), subject to state preemptionLocal text supersedes the state code

What Glendale actually amended

Quoted from the adopted ordinance. These are the provisions that differ from the state code, which is where most correction lists come from. Excerpts, not the whole ordinance. Follow the source link for the full text.

105.3.1.1.4 · Permit application processing

(a) Prior to submitting an application for processing, the applicant shall verify that the installation of an electric vehicle charging station and electric vehicle charging space will not have specific, adverse impact to public health and safety and building occupants. Verification by the applicant includes but is not limited to: electrical system capacity and loads; electrical system wiring, bonding and overcurrent protection; building infrastructure affected by charging station equipment and associated conduits; areas of charging station equipment and vehicle parking. […]

2308.10.5.2

Portal frame with hold-downs (PFH). A PFH shall be constructed in accordance with this section and Figure 2308.10.5.2. The adjacent door or window opening shall have a full- length header. In one-story buildings, each panel shall have a length of not less than 16 inches (406 mm) and a height of not more than 10 feet (3048 mm). Each panel shall be sheathed on one face with a single layer of 3/8-inch (9.5 mm) minimum-thickness wood structural panel sheathing nailed C:\PGCompilerServiceRelease\temp\glendale\MeetingId_10613\Packet\Pdf\60176\15642\1.docx 71 with 8d common or galvanized box nails in accordance with Figure 2308.10.5.2. […]

3109.2 · California swimming pool safety act (statewide)

NOTE: These regulations are subject to local government modification. You should verify the applicable local government requirements at the time of application for a building permit. The following text in this section contains the statutory language in the Swimming Pool Safety Act (HS Code, §§ 115920 – 115929) that is required to be duplicated and published in California Code of Regulations, Title 24. As such, the section numbers reflect those within the Health and Safety Code. 115920. This act shall be known and may be cited as the Swimming Pool Safety Act. (Added by Stats. 1996, Ch. 925, Sec. 3.5. Effective January 1, 1997.) 115921. […]

SECTION IA-103.

Appendix J Section J101.4 of Volume IA of the Glendale Building and Safety Code, 2026, is hereby added to read as follows: J101.4 Safety precautions. 1. General. (a) If at any stage of work on an excavation or fill, the building official determines that the work has become or is likely to become dangerous to any person, or is likely to endanger any property, public or private, the building official shall be authorized to require safety precautions to be immediately taken by the property owner as a condition to continuing such permitted work or to require cessation thereof forthwith unless and until it is made safe and to amend the plans for such work. […]

SECTION IA-114.

Appendix J Section J103.5 of Volume IA of the Glendale Building and Safety Code, 2026, is hereby added to read as follows: J103.5 Bonds and insurance. J103.5.1 Bonds – General. 1. Whenever an application for a grading permit is filed for the excavation or fill of one hundred cubic yards (76 m3) or more in hillside areas and five hundred cubic yards (382 m3) or more in other areas, the nature of the work regulated by this chapter is such that if left incomplete it will create a hazard to human life or endanger adjoining property, or property at a higher or lower level, or any street or street improvement or any other public property, the building official may, before issuing the grading… […]

SECTION IA-118. · Appendix J Section J104.2.3 of Volume IA of the Glendale

Building and Safety Code, 2026, is hereby added to read as follows: J104.2.3 Engineered grading requirements. In addition to the provisions of Chapter 1 Division II, Section 107 and Appendix J Section J104.2, an application for an engineered grading permit shall be accompanied by three sets of plans and specifications, and supporting data consisting of a soils engineering report and engineering geology report. The plans and specifications shall be prepared and signed by an individual licensed by the state to prepare such plans or specifications when required by the building official. Specifications shall contain information covering construction and material requirements. […]

SECTION IA-122.

Appendix J Section J104.6 of Volume IA of the Glendale Building and Safety Code, 2026, is hereby added to read as follows: J104.6 Permit issuance. 1. The issuance of a grading permit shall constitute an authorization to do only that work which is described or illustrated on the application for the permit or on the grading plans and specifications approved by the building official at the time of issuance. 2. Jurisdiction of other agencies. Permits issued under the requirements of this chapter shall not relieve the owner of responsibility for securing required permits for work to be accomplished which is regulated by any other code, department or division of the governing agency. 3. […]

SECTION IA-144.

Appendix J Section J108 of Volume IA of the Glendale Building and Safety Code, 2026, is hereby amended to read as follows: SECTION J108—SETBACKS AND RETAINING WALLS J108.1 General. Cut and fill slopes shall be set back from the property lines in accordance with this section. Setback dimensions shall be measured perpendicular to the property line and shall be as shown in Figure J108.1, unless substantiating data is submitted justifying reduced setbacks and is recommended by a geotechnical engineering and engineering geology report approved by the building official. C:\PGCompilerServiceRelease\temp\glendale\MeetingId_10613\Packet\Pdf\60176\15642\1.docx 131 J108.2 Top of slope. […]

SECTION IA-150.

Appendix J Section J112 of Volume IA of the Glendale Building and Safety Code, 2026, is hereby added to read as follows: SECTION J112—NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM (NPDES) COMPLIANCE C:\PGCompilerServiceRelease\temp\glendale\MeetingId_10613\Packet\Pdf\60176\15642\1.docx 138 J112.1 General. All grading plans and permits shall comply with the provisions of this section and Chapters 13.42 and 13.43 of the Glendale Municipal Code for NPDES compliance including the owner of any property on which grading has been performed and which requires a grading permit under Appendix J Section J103. […]

SECTION 3. · LOCAL AMENDMENTS TO ENERGY CODE

Volume IX (Green Building Standards) of the 2026 Glendale Building and Safety Code, is hereby amended as follows (underlined for additions and strike through for deletions): A4.204.1 Energy Efficiency. Alterations to existing residential buildings shall comply with Sections A4.204.1.1 and A4.204.1.2. A4.204.1.1 Altered Space-Conditioning System Serving Existing Single-Family Dwelling Units – Mechanical Cooling. […]

Source: glendaleca.primegov.com · glendaleca.primegov.com

Overlays that can apply

Mapped hazard and district overlays stack on top of the adopted code. These are the overlays recorded for Los Angeles County. They apply by parcel, not jurisdiction-wide, so confirm the parcel before assuming one is in play. Check CAL FIRE's fire hazard severity viewer and FEMA's flood map service.

  • Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone
  • FEMA mapped flood hazard area

State law that overrides local zoning here

When one of these applies, the state statute governs over a conflicting local standard. This is the most common reason a local rule someone quotes you turns out not to be enforceable against a project.

  • Gov. Code 66310 et seq.

    State ADU law preempts local zoning that would preclude a conforming ADU/JADU.

    Applies when: project includes an ADU or JADU

  • Gov. Code 65915

    State Density Bonus Law concessions/waivers override local development standards.

    Applies when: project requests a density bonus

  • Gov. Code 65852.21 / 66411.7

    SB 9 urban lot split / two-unit ministerial approval preempts conflicting local standards.

    Applies when: project is an SB 9 lot split or two-unit development

Sources

Common questions

What building code does Glendale use?

Glendale enforces 2025 CBC, T24 Pt 2 based on 2024 IBC, the edition adopted statewide in California, amended locally in 2 disciplines (Ord. 6043 (Building and Safety Code) / Ord. 6044 (Green Building/Energy reach code)).

Does Glendale amend the California code?

Yes: building, zoning. For building, the rule is: local text supersedes the state code.

Where do I confirm the code edition for a Glendale permit?

With the city building department that will review the permit. Adoption ordinances are amended on a local schedule, and a set submitted days apart can fall under different editions during a changeover.

Nearby jurisdictions in Los Angeles County

Statewide

Check a plan set against Glendale code

Knowing the adopted edition is the easy half. Architechtura reads your drawings, resolves which of these provisions actually apply to the project, and returns the corrections a plan checker would write up, each one cited to the section it came from.

Your first check is free, no card required.

Compiled from published state and municipal adoption ordinances. Local governments amend their codes on their own schedule, and a pending ordinance can change what applies to your permit. Confirm the governing edition with the building department before you submit. This page is reference information, not a code determination.