YORBA LINDA : No New Building, Fire Codes till April

A contradiction between the city’s fire and building codes has created some confusion about smoke detector requirements, but the City Council decided to let the discrepancy continue at least until April.

City policy requires smoke detectors in bedrooms and hallways next to bedrooms. The requirement applies to new homes and those that are sold or remodeled.

That requirement is based on the Uniform Building Code, a state code the city adopted in 1991.

But the city’s fire code, which was adopted from the Uniform Fire Code of 1991, only requires smoke detectors in hallways next to bedrooms.

This discrepancy has some real estate agents confused about what is required when a home is sold. Christine Norris, a member of the North Orange County Board of Realtors, asked the council to clarify the matter.

However, the council on Tuesday decided against any changes until April, when a new Uniform Fire Code is scheduled to be adopted by the state fire marshal. That code is expected to require smoke detectors in sleeping areas and hallways.

Mayor John M. Gullixson initially supported changing the building code to eliminate the need for smoke detectors in bedrooms.

“I have a real problem with what I see as considerable over-regulation,” Gullixson said. “There is no way you aren’t going to hear a detector in the hallway.”

But he backed down from changing the building code in favor of waiting to see the changes in the Uniform Fire Code. The city must adopt the fire code unless it can prove that local conditions prevent it from doing so.