California's Cities Lead the Way to a Gas-Free Future

UPDATED December 2: San Jose updated its building code and Oakland became the 40th community in California to commit to phasing out gas.

Cities and counties in California serve as guiding lights as the state navigates a transition from gas to clean-energy buildings. Motivated by the climate crisis, worsening air pollution, escalating gas rates, and safety risks from gas, a new cohort of local government leaders is emerging in California. Over 50 cities and counties across the state are considering policies to support all-electric new construction. 

This blog summarizes the cities and counties that have already adopted gas-free buildings commitments or electrification building codes (i.e., “reach codes” that go beyond the statewide building code) and is regularly updated to reflect the latest wins in California. Ordinance language is also linked below.

To urge your city council members to be climate leaders and to create a gas-free future for our homes and buildings, please sign this petition.To get more involved in the campaign, please sign up here for updates on what is happening in your city.

So far, 40 cities (listed with the most recent city first) have adopted building codes to reduce their reliance on gas. More to come with your help! Stay tuned….

40. Oakland- Requires all newly constructed buildings to be all-electric.

39. Ojai- Requires all-electric new construction for buildings with some exceptions.

38. Sunnyvale- Requires newly constructed residential and commercial buildings to be all-electric with an exemption for gas fuel cells. Restaurants may apply for an exemption.

37. Millbrae- Requires all-electric residential and commercial buildings with exemptions for laboratories, restaurants and gas cooking/fireplaces.

36. Los Altos- Requires all newly constructed buildings to be all-electric with exemptions for gas cooking/fireplaces in residential buildings with 9 units or less, laboratories and restaurants.

35. East Palo Alto- Requires that new residential and commercial buildings be all-electric, with exceptions for affordable housing, and commercial kitchens. 

34. Redwood City- Adopted a reach code requiring all-electric new construction for commercial and residential buildings, with exceptions for multiple specific building types such as laboratories.

33. Piedmont- Promotes all-electric new construction for low-rise residential buildings and incentives electrification for renovations of low-rise residences.

32. San Anselmo- Promotes all electric housing by requiring higher energy efficiency requirements for mixed fuel projects and prewiring for al electric kitchens. 

31. Burlingame- Requires all electric new construction for projects with exemptions for single-family and commercial projects for gas cooking and fireplaces. 

30. Santa Cruz- Requires all electric new construction with exemptions for projects that are deemed to be in the public interest and for restaurant cooking.

29. Hayward- All new residential buildings are required to be all-electric and nonresidential and high-rise residential buildings are electric preferred. Mixed-fuel buildings must install solar panels, and the energy budget must be 10 percent better than code. 

28. Richmond- Requires new residential buildings over three stories to have prewiring for electric readiness and to support all-electric clothes dryers and space and water heating. Allows gas to power stoves and fireplaces. Requires all buildings under three stories to build all-electric and install a minimum amount of on-site solar based on square footage. 

27. San Mateo County- Requires that no gas or propane plumbing is installed in new buildings, and that electricity be used as the energy source for water and space heating and cooking and clothes drying appliances.

26. Campbell- Requires all-electric space and water heating in new residential buildings, accessory dwelling units, and major remodels. 

25. San Francisco recently expanded on their building electrification ordinance, now requiring that all new construction be all electric starting June 1st 2021

24. Los Altos Hills- Requires electric space and water heating in new low-rise residential buildings.  

23. Cupertino- Requires all buildings, including accessory dwelling units, to be all-electric. Also requires outdoor pools, spas, and barbeques to be included within the definition of an all-electric building. 

22. Los Gatos- Requires all newly constructed single-family and low-rise multifamily buildings to be all-electric. 

21. Healdsburg- Requires electrification for most appliances but grants an exemption for gas cooking and fireplaces. 

20. Brisbane- Requires all newly constructed single-family homes and low-rise multifamily buildings to be all-electric. Allows exemptions for cooking appliances but requires pre-wiring for electric readiness. 

19. Saratoga- Requires all newly constructed buildings to be all-electric.

18. Mill Valley- Requires all newly constructed residential buildings to be all electric.

17. Pacifica- Requires electrification for most appliances but grants an exemption for gas cooking and fireplaces in new residential buildings. Requires water and space heaters, cooking appliances, fireplaces, and clothes dryers to be all-electric for new nonresidential buildings. Public agencies providing emergency services and nonresidential kitchens are exempted. 

16. Santa Rosa- Requires all newly constructed low-rise residential buildings to be all-electric.

15. Milpitas- Limits gas infrastructure for newly constructed buildings on city-owned property. 

14. Alameda- Limits gas infrastructure for new residential construction on city-owned property.

13. Palo Alto- Requires all newly constructed low-rise residential buildings to be all-electric, plus higher energy-efficiency standards and electrification readiness in mixed-fuel non-residential buildings. Will revisit all-electric requirement for non-residential new construction in 2021. 

12. Morgan Hill- Phases out gas hookups in all newly constructed residential buildings and most nonresidential buildings.    

11. Mountain View- Requires electrification for new residential and nonresidential buildings. Does not exempt gas stoves, fireplaces, or firepits in residential buildings. 

10. Marin County- Offered three compliance pathways for newly constructed buildings in unincorporated buildings: one for all-electric construction, one for limited mixed-fuel construction that has fewer efficiency requirements because it uses less gas but allows gas stoves, and one for mixed-fuel construction that requires the most strict compliance with Cal Green Tier 1 and electrification-readiness requirements. 

9. Davis- Requires higher energy-efficiency standards and electrification readiness in mixed-fuel buildings.  

8. San Jose- San Jose passed a natural gas prohibition for all new building types, with limited temporary exemptions, becoming the largest city in the nation to do so. 

7. Menlo Park- Requires all-electric new construction for  residential buildings as well as new nonresidential buildings but allows an exemption for cooking appliances in low-rise residential buildings.  

6. Santa Monica- Requires additional energy-efficiency measures for new residential and nonresidential buildings that use gas.  

5. San Mateo- Requires new residential buildings and buildings with office-use to be all-electric. Adds additional requirements for rooftop solar and electric vehicle charging.  

4. San Luis Obispo- Requires additional energy efficiency and electrification readiness for all newly constructed buildings and adds a small fee for new mixed-fuel buildings based on expected gas consumption.

3. Windsor- Mandates all-electric new construction for low-rise residential buildings, including single-family homes, multifamily homes with fewer than four stories, and detached accessory dwelling units ( but attached ones are exempt).  

2. Berkeley- Phases out gas hookups in all newly constructed residential buildings and most nonresidential buildings.   

1.Carlsbad- Requires heat pump water heaters or solar thermal water heating in new residential buildings that have fewer than four stories. 

City and county leadership is essential not just for local climate action but also to convince the California Energy Commission to require or at least support all-electric new construction in the statewide building code (Title 24). 

The CEC updates Title 24 every three years. The 2019 version of Title 24 went into effect January 1, 2020. The CEC is already working on the next iteration of Title 24, which will come out in 2022. All of this community and city support for more-ambitious building codes sends a strong signal to the CEC to align the statewide building code with climate science and require all-electric new construction. Californians deserve nothing less.