Amended  IN  Senate  April 24, 2024
Amended  IN  Senate  April 01, 2024

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill
No. 1152


Introduced by Senator Limón

February 14, 2024


An act to add Section 13110.3 to the Health and Safety Code, relating to fire safety.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


SB 1152, as amended, Limón. State Fire Marshal: fire safety: regulations: lithium-based batteries. battery systems.
The California Building Standards Law establishes the California Building Standards Commission within the Department of General Services. Existing law requires the commission to approve and adopt building standards and to codify those standards in the California Building Standards Code, which is required to be published once every 3 years. Existing law requires the State Fire Marshal to research and develop, and authorizes the State Fire Marshal to propose to the California Building Standards Commission, mandatory building standards for fire resistance based on occupancy risk categories in very high, high, and moderate California fire severity zones, as provided.
This bill would require the State Fire Marshal, before the next triennial edition of the California Building Standards Code adopted after January 1, 2025, to propose to the commission updates to the fire standards relating to requirements for lead-acid and nickel-cadmium battery systems to include identical requirements for lithium-based batteries, battery systems, as provided. The bill would require these requirements for lithium-based battery systems to be consistent with the requirements for lead-acid and nickel-cadmium batteries, as provided.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 Section 13110.3 is added to the Health and Safety Code, to read:

13110.3.
 The State Fire Marshal shall, before the next triennial edition of the California Building Standards Codes (Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations) adopted after January 1, 2025, propose to the California Building Standards Commission updates to the fire standards described in Chapter 12 (commencing with Section 1201.1) of Part 9 of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations relating to requirements for lead-acid and nickel-cadmium batteries to include requirements for lithium-based batteries. battery systems to support compliance with regulations adopted by the Public Utilities Commission relating to 72-hour backup power requirements. These requirements for lithium-based batteries battery systems shall be identical to consistent with the requirements for lead-acid and nickel-cadmium batteries as described in the existing regulations. It is the intent of the Legislature that the State Fire Marshal, when complying with this section, include no additional requirements, other than the ones described in this section, in the updated battery requirement regulations.