O2274CA:flatty\muni\laws\barry\Fire Solar Ordinance101408ord2d
City Council Meeting: 10-14-08 Santa Monica, California
ORDINANCE NUMBER 2274 (CCS)
(City Council Series)
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
SANTA MONICA ADDING SECTION 8.40.030 TO THE SANTA MONICA MUNICIPAL
CODE TO ESTABLISH SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC INSTALLATION STANDARDS TO
ENSURE PUBLIC SAFETY
WHEREAS, in July 2007, the CAL FIRE Office of the State Fire Marshall
established a Task Force to develop guidelines for installing solar photovoltaic ("PV")
systems; and
WHEREAS, members of local fire service agencies and .the solar PV industry
worked together to develop guidelines that would ensure fire service access to perform
rescue and fire suppression operations on buildings with installed PV systems; and
WHEREAS, Santa Monica Fire Department staff were on this task force and
were instrumental in developing guidelines that appropriately balance fire safety and
suppression concerns-with opportunities for clean, distributed renewable energy; and
WHEREAS, the Office of the State Fire Marshall has stated that these guidelines
are intended to be incorporated into the next version of the California Building
Standards Code ih 2010; and
WHEREAS, the State Fire Marshall has encouraged localities to implement these
guidelines in advance of the schedule if warranted based on the local conditions; and
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WHEREAS, Health and Safety Code Section 18938 provides that the triennial.
edition of the California Building Standards Gode establishes building standards for all
occupancies throughout the State and requires that these standards incorporate the
latest editions of the Technical Codes with necessary California amendments; and
WHEREAS, on July 1, 2007, the State Building Standards Commission approved
and published the 2007 edition of the California Building Standards Code, which
incorporated the various editions of the Technical Codes by reference with necessary
California amendments; and
WHEREAS, Health and Safety Code Sections 18938 and 17958 make the
California Building Standards Code applicable to all cities and counties throughout
California, including the City of Santa. Monica, 180 days after publication by the State
Building Standards Commission on January 1, 2008, and
WHEREAS, Health and Safety Code Section 18941.5 provides that the City may
establish more restrictive building standards if they are reasonably necessary due to
local climatic, geological or topographical conditions; and
WHEREAS, at its November 13, 2007 meeting, the City Council considered the
2007. edition of the California Building Standards Code, which incorporates by reference
the various editions of the Technical Codes, and all of the referenced standards, tables,
matrices and appendices of each of these codes therein; and
WHEREAS, on November 27, 2007, the City Council adopted Ordinance Number
2244 (CCS), which adopted by reference certain Technical Codes, the Santa Monica
local amendments to these Technical Codes and the California Building Standards
Code; and
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WHEREAS, based upon the findings contained in the Resolution adopted
concurrently with this Ordinance and findings contained in this Ordinance, the City
Council has concluded that certain additional modifications and additions to the
California Building Standards Code are reasonably necessary based upon local climatic
conditions,
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA
DOES HEREBY ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Section 8.40.030 is hereby added to the Santa Monica Municipal
Code to read as follows:
8.40.030 Solar Photovoltaic Standards
In addition to the local amendments to the California
Fire Code established in Section 8.40:020, the following
local amendments to the California Fire Code shall also
apply:
(a) Applicability
(1) The provisions of this section shall apply to all
new solar photovoltaic systems installed on habitable
buildings.
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(2) The provisions of this section shall not apply to
solar photovoltaic systems installed on non-habitable
structures.
(b) Marking
(1) Main Service Disconnect
(A) Marking Content/Format. The main electrical
disconnect shall be marked, in white lettering on a red
background, in all capital letters at least 3/8 of an inch tall,
with the following: "CAUTION:. SOLAR ELECTRIC
SYSTEM." The marking shall be made of reflective and
weather-resistant materials.
(B) Location
1. Residential. For residential applications, the
main service disconnect marking shall be placed on the
outside cover of the main service panel.
2. Commercial. For commercial applications, the
main service disconnect marking shall be placed adjacent to
the main service disconnect in a location clearly visible from
the location where the main service disconnect is operated
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(2) DC Conduit, Raceways, Enclosures, Cable
Assemblies, and Junction Boxes
(A) Marking Content/Format. For equipment
associated with DC power, all conduit; raceways,
enclosures, cable assemblies, combiner boxes and junction
boxes shall be marked, in white lettering on a red
background, in all capital letters at least 3/8 of an inch tall,
with the following: "CAUTION: SOLAR CIRCUIT". The
marking shall be made of reflective and weather-resistant
materials.
(B) Location. For equipment serving DC power,
marking shall be placed every 10 feet on all conduit,
raceways, enclosures, and cable assemblies, at turns, above
and below building penetrations, and at all combiner boxes
and junction boxes.
(c) Location of DC Conductors
(1) For DC equipment installed on the roof,
conduit, wiring systems, and raceways shall be located as
close as possible to the ridge, hip, or valley and shall run
from the ridge, hip, or valley directly to an outside wall.
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(2) Conduit runs shall take the shortest path from
the array to the DC combiner box.
(3) DC combiner boxes shall be located so as to
minimize conduit runs in pathways between arrays.
(4) DC wiring located inside the building shall be
run in metallic conduit or in raceways and shall be run along
the bottom of load-bearing structural framing members
wherever feasible.
(d) Access, Pathways, and Smoke Ventilation
(1) Residential Buildings - 1 and 2 units
(A) For buildings with hip roof layouts, one (1) 3-
foot wide clear access pathway shall be provided from the
eave to the ridge at a structurally sound location on each
roof slope where modules are installed.
(B) For buildings with a single ridge, two (2) 3-foot
wide clear access pathways shall be provided from the eave
to the ridge at structurally sound locations on each roof slope
where modules are installed.
(C) Modules installed on only one side of a hip or a
valley may be installed directly adjacent to the hip or valley.
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If modules are installed on both sides of the hip or valley,
then modules may not be installed closer than 18 inches to
the hip or valley.
(2) Commercial Buildings and Residential
Buildings with Three or More Units
(A) Access.
1. If both axes of the building are greater than
250 feet in length, then modules shall be installed at least 6
feet from the exterior edge of the roof.
2. If either axis of the building is 250 feet or less
in length, then modules shall be installed at least 4 feet from
the exterior edge of the roof.
(B) Pathways
1, Pathways shall be over. structural members
and shall run in straight lines:
2. Pathways shall be provided on both axes of the
roof on the structural member nearest the centerline of each
axis.
3. Straight line pathways not less than 4 feet wide
clear shall be provided to skylights, ventilation hatches, and
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roof hatches. 4-foot wide pathways shall be provided around
the perimeter of all roof hatches.
(C) Ventilation. Array sections should be no
greater than 150 feet in any dimension. Ventilation shall be
provided between array sections by means of at least one of
the following options:
1. A pathway at least 8 feet wide.
2. A pathway at least 4 feet wide that borders on
existing skylights or ventilation hatches
3: A pathway at least 4 feet wide bordering 4-foot
by 8-foot clear venting cutouts provided every 20 feet on
alternating sides of the pathway.
(e) Alternative Means of Compliance.
The Santa Monica Fire and Building Departments
may approve alternative means of compliance as authorized
by and in accordance with California Building Code Section
108.7 for residential buildings or Section 111.2.4 for
occupancies regulated by the Office of the State Fire
Marshall.
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SECTION 2. Any provision of the Santa Monica Municipal Code or appendices
thereto inconsistent with the provisions of this Ordinance; to the extent of such
inconsistencies and no further, is hereby repealed or modified to that extent necessary
to effect the provisions of this Ordinance.
SECTION 3. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause,- or phrase of this
Ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional by a decision of any
court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the
remaining portions of this Ordinance. The City Council hereby declares that it would
have passed this Ordinance and each and. every section, subsection, sentence, clause,
or phrase not declared invalid or unconstitutional without regard to whether any portion
of the ordinance would be subsequently declared invalid or unconstitutional.
SECTION 4. The Mayor shall sign and the City Clerk shall attest to the passage
of this Ordinance. The City Clerk shall cause the same to be published once in the
official newspaper within 15 days after its adoption. This Ordinance shall become
effective 30 days from its adoption.
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
f{'i%
MARSHA ¢ONES~IfitO~1TRIE
City Attor ey /
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Approved and adopted this 14th day of October,
State of California )
County of Los Angeles) ss.
City of Santa Monica )
I, Maria Stewart, City Clerk of the City of Santa Monica, do hereby certify that the
foregoing Ordinance No. 2274 (CCS) had its introduction on September 16th, 2008, and
was adopted at the Santa Monica City Council meeting held on October 14th, 2008, by
the following vote:
Ayes: Council members:
Noes: Council members:
Abstain: Council members
Absent: Council members
Censer, Holbrook, McKeown, Shriver
Mayor Katz
None
None
O'Connor
Mayor Pro Tem Bloom
A summary of Ordinance No. 2274 (CCS) was duly published pursuant to California
Government Code Section 40806.
ATTEST:
.--
Maria Stewart, City erk