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LS 8.6.15 ORDINANCE NO. NS -2883 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA ANA AMENDING CHAPTERS 8 AND 14 OF THE SANTA ANA MUNICIPAL CODE REGARDING THE DEFINITION OF A HIGH -RISE STRUCTURE /BUILDING THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA ANA DOES ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. The City Council of the City of Santa Ana hereby finds, determines, and declares as follows: A. Prior to municipal amendment of the 2013 California Building Code, the definition of high -rise building is "any building of any type of construction or occupancy having floors used for human occupancy located more than 75 feet above the lowest floor level having building access ". B. Historically and locally, the high -rise building definition was established at 55 feet above the lowest floor level having building access due primarily to previous reach limitations of fire apparatus such as ladders to this level or height. This revised definition has been traditionally carried over for the past several code cycles including the last code cycle authored by the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA). It maintained the revised definition in part to simplify the transition of the City to OCFA and to encourage consistency of said high -rise building definition in all of Orange County. The amendment was not based on topographic, geologic, or climatic provisions that is allowed and required of any code amendment by the California Building Standards Commission. C. Building codes and building technology continue to evolve affording increases in passive and active life safety provisions. Automated fire suppression systems, smoke control, fire - rating of assemblies, and compartmentalization are but a few elements that make buildings safer to occupy, egress, and ingress by fire personnel to fight fires. Additionally, firefighting methods and fire technology continue to also advance. This joint progression is what allows the building code to be amended back to the State Fire Marshal's minimum of classifying high -rise buildings per the original adopted code language of 75 feet above the lowest floor level having building access. D. In the International Building Code, the nation's model code and on which the California Building Code is based; high -rise is also defined at 75 feet. Reverting back to the original code language benefits development in not having to impart code criteria that is developed for taller structures. Ordinance No. NS -2883 od Page 1 of 4