CALCode Quarterly Fall 2026

This cycle status update has information for both the 2025 Intervening and 2027 Triennial Code Adoption Cycles, due to the overlap in activities for the two processes.

2025 Intervening Cycle Conclusion

CBSC is in the process of working with the publishers of the California Building Standards Code, Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations (Title 24), to codify and publish the California code updates that were adopted and approved at the August 25-26 commission meeting. During the two-day meeting, commissioners reviewed multiple final rulemaking submittals from the Building Standards Commission (BSC), the Division of the State Architect (DSA), the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), the Office of Statewide Hospital Planning and Development (OSHPD) and the Office of the State Fire Marshal (SFM). Details about the final proposals can be found on the Commission Meeting webpage.

The approved changes will be published as supplements (blue pages) to the 2025 edition of Title 24 on January 1, 2027, and will go into effect on July 1, 2027. The publishers are the International Code Council (ICC), the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO), and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). If you have purchased Title 24 or any of its individual parts, you will automatically receive errata and supplements in the format requested when you registered with the code publishers. If you’re not registered, you can download the PDFs for each part from the CBSC Codes webpage after the publication date. Note that during the 2025 Intervening Code Adoption Cycle there were no updates to the California Residential, Energy, Historical Building, or Referenced Standards Codes (Parts 2.5, 6, 8, and 12 of Title 24, respectively).

Between now and January 1, 2027, CBSC staff are working with the publishers on codification, which is the process of integrating the code updates into the existing edition of Title 24 and preparing them for printing. Additionally, we are working on development of the Summary of Code Changes that will be made available as a webpage and a downloadable PDF. The Summary is a quick reference—by part, chapter, agency, and section—where code users can see a brief description of updates made. It will be posted on CBSC’s Resources webpage under the Guidebooks on Title 24 section around the time the supplements are published.

2027 Triennial Code Adoption Cycle

While we are wrapping up the intervening cycle, CBSC and other state agencies have already started the process for the 2027 Triennial Code Adoption Cycle that will result in the 2028 edition of Title 24. Several pre-cycle workshops have already been held and a couple more are scheduled in the coming months to develop proposed amendments relating to water reuse, electric vehicle charging and other sustainability measures, and embodied carbon reduction in the California Green Building Standards Code (CALGreen, Part 11 of Title 24), as well as an administrative change in the California Administrative Code (Part 1). Watch our Meetings webpage, or sign up for our mailing list to receive notices for upcoming workshops.

On September 30, CBSC convened the Coordinating Council of state agencies to announce and discuss each agency’s intentions related to adoption and amendment of the various parts of Title 24. Convened under the authority of Health and Safety Code Section 18926, the Coordinating Council consists of BSC, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), California Energy Commission (CEC), DSA, HCD, OSHPD and SFM. This is an important step in the triennial code adoption cycle process because it allows each agency to hear the others’ proposals and determine if there needs to be coordination to avoid duplication or conflict in Title 24’s building standards or in the administrative standards related to building codes.

The next important step for the cycle is to select members for the six Code Advisory Committees (CACs) that provide technical review and feedback for each code proposal. On October 13, the CBSC Code Adoption Committee—consisting of five commissioners—will meet to review applications and make nominations for the approximately 50 CAC members needed for the 2027-29 term. Final member selection and approval will occur at a commission meeting in January 2027 before the full commission.

Once the CAC members are seated, CBSC will prepare for their meetings to review code proposals. Again, follow the meetings webpage or sign up for our mailing list to receive notices for CAC meetings.

Veronica Scribner joined the CBSC team as an Analyst II in July 2026. CALCode Quarterly asked Veronica to share some professional and personal tidbits with us so we can get to know her.

Veronica says, “I’m excited to be part of the California Building Standards Commission (CBSC) team. I have several years of state service experience, including administrative, analytical, budget, customer service, and supervisory roles. Throughout my career, I’ve enjoyed learning new programs, improving processes, helping others, and being part of a team that works toward a common goal. I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone and contributing to CBSC.”

CALCode Quarterly: As a new CBSC team member, what are your first impressions about the work we do? Are you surprised or intrigued by anything?

Veronica: My first impression is that CBSC’s work is much more extensive and impactful than I initially realized. I’m intrigued by how much coordination, detail, and behind-the-scenes work goes into California’s building standards and the code development process. Before joining CBSC, I didn’t fully realize how many different agencies, stakeholders, regulations, and administrative processes are involved. I’m excited to continue learning how all the pieces come together and how our individual roles contribute to the bigger picture.

What prompted you to apply to CBSC, aside from wanting a job in Sacramento?

I was interested in CBSC because the position offered an opportunity to expand my knowledge and use the skills I’ve developed throughout my career. I saw CBSC as an opportunity to bring those skills to a smaller, collaborative organization while continuing to grow professionally and learn an entirely new program area.

From what you know so far, what are you looking forward to in your new job?

I’m looking forward to learning more about CBSC’s programs and becoming confident in all aspects of my new role. I enjoy being challenged and learning new things, so I’m especially looking forward to understanding the building standards and code cycle processes and seeing how my work supports the commission’s overall mission. I’m also looking forward to building relationships with my coworkers and finding ways that I can contribute to the team.

Is there anything else you want to share?

Outside of work, I’m very family-oriented and love traveling, trying new restaurants, and working on creative craft projects. I’m also a big sports fan and cheer for the Raiders, Dodgers, and Manchester City—so depending on the season, my teams may either make my weekend or completely ruin it!

I love music, both English and Spanish, and my playlist is pretty much all over the place. One minute I could be listening to English music and the next I’m playing Spanish music and pretending I can sing way better than I actually can.

I’m also always looking for a good restaurant, so if you have a favorite spot in Sacramento, send the recommendation my way.

^{Veronica after running in the Turkey Trot last year}

CALCode Quarterly asked Tom to answer a few questions, but his story in his own words is much more entertaining, so here you are:

A couple of things that I am proud of:

I am proud that I came from the boots-on-the-ground side of the construction world. I was one of those guys who thought it would be great to get to work outdoors every day and not be stuck in an office. It really is great to work outdoors—for maybe about 45 days out of the year. For the other 320 days, it is either too hot, too cold, too wet and muddy, or somehow just plain miserable.

With all of that said, I would not change it for anything. I think coming from the field and then getting my AA made me a well-rounded code person. Both field knowledge and educational knowledge combined give you a really great outlook on code development.

I am also very proud of what I believe is an extensive understanding of the California Electrical Code. I feel privileged to have been able to share some of that knowledge with my colleagues over the years—probably sometimes way more than they actually wanted. Having worked as an electrician for so many years, the Electrical Code will always have a very special place in my heart.

Title 24 funny story:

So, [CALCode Quarterly] asked me to share a funny story about Title 24. I have to admit the California Energy Code is probably the one code out of all 13 parts that I am the least familiar with and have had the least interaction with.

In fact, after all these years working with the California Building Standards Code, I think I almost started to believe that Title 24 is just the California Energy Code, as so many people have sworn to and tried to make me believe!

So, as my last official act at CBSC, I am loudly and proudly screaming one last time: “Title 24 actually consists of 13 parts, only one of which is the California Energy Code! There are also the California Administrative Code, Building Code, Residential Code, the new Wildland-Urban Interface Code that just filled up Part 7, Mechanical Code, Plumbing Code, and on and on until you have all 13 of them.” I will never, ever have to say that sentence again for the rest of my life. Thanks for listening.

What I am looking forward to:

I am looking forward to getting back to being a somewhat efficient person. Retirement makes you very inefficient! You start to think, “Well, I don’t have to do that right now or even today, I can always do it tomorrow.” This is a trap, believe me.

I am also looking forward to maybe, someday, actually sleeping in. I still get up around 5 a.m. just because my body has been trained to do so for 60-plus years. It is a hard habit to break.

Finally, I really want to figure out what I want to do with my life next. I know that I want to volunteer in some capacity, I just still need to look at what is going to work best for me—probably something to do with a pitbull rescue, and maybe Habitat for Humanity or something similar.

Closing:

Before I hand this microphone back, let me leave you with one final thought: Remember, if anyone tries to tell you tomorrow that Title 24 is just the Energy Code... you tell them I'm no longer here to correct them, so they better look it up! It’s been a true honor working with you all. Thank you, good luck, and I’ll see you on the other side of 5 a.m.!

As Tom prepares for his future retirement, his colleagues would like to share a few parting notes:

CBSC Executive Director Stoyan Bumbalov: “Tom, it has been both a pleasure and a privilege working with you. You turned down my offer once, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to return to California and bug you for another two and a half years. I hope you enjoy your retirement and have the chance to check everything off your bucket list!”

Deputy Executive Director Kevin Day: “I had the pleasure of working with Tom while he was at [the Department of Housing and Community Development] and was delighted when he joined the CBSC family. I appreciate that Tom was always willing to go the extra mile in helping with constituent calls and emails. I’m going to miss his positive attitude and jovial sense of humor.”

Office Manager Barbara Trusley: “Although I don’t work closely with Tom on the technical side of things, I’ve always appreciated how willing he is to lend a hand, answer a call, or help out whenever someone needs it. Around the office, he’s always willing to pitch in and has even become our unofficial handyman. Tom’s loud, boisterous personality and great sense of humor bring a lot of energy and positivity to the workplace. I’ve often joked that you can always tell when Tom isn’t in the office because it gets very quiet! We’re really going to miss Tom, but his retirement is much deserved. Congratulations on your retirement, Tom!”

Program Administrator Lara Paskins: “Tom has a gift of making you smile (and laugh) every day. I greatly appreciate his willingness to share his extensive technical knowledge and answer my endless questions. What a wonderful person to share a workday with. There will be a big hole in the heart of the CBSC office after Tom retires.”

Associate Architect Havel Weidner: “Tom is always quick with a joke or a story about his adventures on his ‘trike’ (a high-performance recumbent bicycle), and I will miss hearing them around the office. On the other hand, I’m glad he will have more time for adventures on the trike, and I’m sure he is too! Happy retirement, Tom!”

Associate Construction Analyst Beth Maynard: “Tom, you always brought a lot of humor to the workplace, and you definitely made the days more entertaining. Although I’m not sure retirement is going to suit you—you are going to have way too much free time to come up with even more trouble!”

^{Tom and Big Head Fred, enjoying retirement}