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Building codes & construction

CBC Chapter 7A

The former CBC wildfire-construction chapter. In the 2025 CBC it is only a user note: its rules moved to the Wildland-Urban Interface Code (Title 24, Part 7).

Definition

Chapter 7A of the California Building Code — "Materials and Construction Methods for Exterior Wildfire Exposure" — was, through the 2022 edition, the hardened-construction chapter for buildings in mapped fire hazard severity zones, with Residential Code Section R337 as its counterpart for dwellings. It regulated the ignition paths embers actually exploit: ember-resistant vents, multi-pane glazing with tempered glass, and noncombustible or ignition-resistant roofing, exterior wall coverings, decking and eaves, generally using products listed for WUI service.

In the 2025 CBC (effective January 1, 2026) the chapter keeps its number and title but no requirements. Its user note reads: "Provisions for Materials and Construction Methods for Exterior Wildfire Exposure are now located in Part 7, California Wildland-Urban Interface Code." CBC Section 101.4.8 applies Part 7 to buildings in the wildland-urban interface or a Fire Hazard Severity Zone, and CRC Section R337 now carries the same kind of note. The requirements live in the California Wildland-Urban Interface Code (Part 7), chiefly Chapter 5.

Why it matters in an underwrite

Citations are the trap. A detail or spec that cites a Chapter 7A section (701A through 710A) points to an empty chapter in the 2025 code; for a permit application submitted on or after January 1, 2026, cite the Part 7 section instead, and expect older permits to stay on the 2022 Chapter 7A text. The cost logic did not change: substitutions must still carry WUI listings, which narrows the product universe and raises the envelope budget (vents, windows, cladding and decks are the recurring adds), and whether the rules apply at all is a map question — confirm the parcel's zone before locking an exterior specification.

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Last reviewed 2026-10-19. General information, not legal advice.