Q103 Emergency Housing — 2025 California Building Code

Emergency sleeping cabins, emergency transportable housing units, membrane structures and tents constructed and/ or assembled in accordance with this appendix, shall be occupied only during declaration of state of emergency, local emergency or shelter crisis.

Buildings and structures constructed in accordance with the California Building Standards Code, used as emergency housing, shall be permitted to be permanently occupied.

Existing residential and nonresidential buildings or structures shall be permitted to be used as emergency housing and emergency housing facilities provided such buildings or structures comply with the building code provisions and/or other regulations in effect at the time of original construction and/or alteration. Existing buildings or structures used as emergency housing shall not become or continue to be substandard buildings, as determined by the enforcing agency.

Q103.2.1 New additions, alterations and change of occupancy. New additions, alterations and change of occupancy to existing buildings shall comply with the requirements of the California Building Standards Code effective at the time of addition, alteration or change of occupancy. The requirements shall apply only to and/or within the specific area of the addition, alteration or change of

occupancy.

Exception: Existing buildings and structures used for emergency housing and emergency housing facilities may not be required to comply with the California Energy Code, as determined by the enforcing agency.

Except as otherwise stated in this appendix, the maximum occupant load allowed in buildings and structures used as emergency housing shall be determined by the enforcing agency, but the interior floor area shall not be less than 70 square feet (6.5 m [2] ) for one occupant. Where more than one person occupies the building/structure, the required floor area shall be increased at the rate of 50 square feet (4.65 m [2] ) for each occupant in excess of one.

Exceptions:

1. Tents.

2. Recreational vehicles and park trailers designed for human habitation that meet the requirements in the Health and Safety Code, Sections 18009.3 and 18010, as applicable. 3. For emergency housing, including emergency sleeping cabins, the minimum interior floor area may be reduced to 53 square feet (4.9 m [2] ) if the enforcing agency determines that 53 square feet (4.9 m [2] ) is adequate space for a single-occupancy sleep- ing unit.

If not otherwise addressed in this appendix, fire and life safety measures, including, but not limited to, means of egress, fire separation, fire sprinklers, smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms, shall be determined and enforced by the enforcing agency.

Emergency housing shall be provided with a privacy lock on each entrance door and all windows for use by the occupants.

All sleeping areas shall be provided with adequate heating as determined by the enforcing agency.