On February 26, 2025, the State of California announced that they have adopted the 2024 International Wildland-Urban Interface Code (IWUIC) as the basis for Title 24, Part 7, 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code to address escalating wildfire risks, enhance fire resilience with science-based standards and set the benchmark for safer, more sustainable communities in fire-prone areas.
California’s adoption of the 2024 IWUIC is the result of a multi-year collaboration between the CAL FIRE Office of the State Fire Marshal, the California Fire Prevention Officers (CAL FPOs), California Building Officials (CALBO), the International Code Council (ICC), the California Building Industry Association (CBIA), and wildfire stakeholders culminating with rulemaking by the California Building Standards Commission (CBSC).
California State Fire Marshal Daniel Berlant said of the announcement that it: “Marks a milestone that represents the hard work of many to update and modernize Wildland-Urban Interface building codes.
“While these aren’t necessarily new requirements, it’s a reorganization of many sections into a singular code with the goal of making it easier for local officials to ensure that new homes and buildings built in wildfire-prone areas have an increased chance of surviving a wildfire.”
Code Council Immediate Past President Stuart D. Tom, P.E., CBO, FIAE- Superintendent of Building and Fire, Pasadena, California commented: “With the help of expert volunteers, CAL FIRE’s Office of the State Fire Marshal has shifted the basis of Title-24’s Wildland Urban Interface standards to a nationally developed model code.
“The IWUIC is developed though the collaborative efforts of the foremost experts in the field of wildland construction safety from across our country.
“By utilizing this model code, California will benefit from the continual code development cycle that the Code Council uses to ensure that all its codes are the best in the world.”
Jeff Janes, President of California Building Officials added: “There has never been a more essential time for collaboration in the name of public safety, and the newly approved use of the Code Council’s IWUIC is a testament to this shared effort.
“California’s building, fire and code professionals came together to work in concert with the California State Fire Marshal to usher in a new era of fire-safe development standards and defensible space provisions that will enhance fire safety in the built environment.
“With the definitive actions of the Building Standards Commission, CALBO looks forward to enforcing the IWUIC and its model provisions into the future.”
Christopher E. Ochoa, Esq., CBIA Senior Counsel- Codes, Regulatory and Legislative Affairs explained: “While CBIA was initially concerned with this effort, we are now pleased to strongly support the California State Fire Marshal’s plan to use the Code Council’s IWUIC as the basis for California’s new stand-alone Wildland-Urban Interface fire safety code.
“This new document will combine three fire safety measures (building standards, defensible space provisions and fire-safe development standards) and publish them all under one cover.”
The State of California has adopted the 2024 International Wildland-Urban Interface Code (IWUIC) as the basis for Title 24, Part 7, 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code to address escalating wildfire risks.
