California's Building Standards Commission has kicked off the environmental review for a set of CALGreen changes that would cut drinking-water use in new nonresidential buildings, and the public has until Nov. 19 to weigh in on what that review should cover (via CEQAnet).
The commission's notice of preparation for a draft environmental impact report opened for review Oct. 20. The project is the 2028 amendments to the California Green Building Standards Code, Part 11 of Title 24, prompted by Senate Bill 745, the Drought-Resistant Buildings Act. According to the notice, the amendments would reduce potable water use in new nonresidential buildings by taking some of CALGreen's existing voluntary water-efficiency measures and making them mandatory, with multiple compliance options for different building types and regional conditions. The rules would apply statewide.
The notice doesn't say which voluntary measures would move up. The commission's own pre-rulemaking materials give a hint: a charter for its September workshop lists measures under consideration including water reuse systems in new nonresidential buildings and pre-plumbing so buildings can later hook up to recycled water, onsite treated graywater or other alternative sources.
If the changes are adopted, they'd appear in the 2028 edition of CALGreen, published July 1, 2028, and take effect Jan. 1, 2029. The commission's timeline calls for initial rulemaking submittals by Feb. 1, 2027, and a 45-day public comment period on the actual code language and the environmental analysis between May and October 2027.
SB 745, by Sen. Dave Cortese, became law in October 2023, according to CalMatters' Digital Democracy bill tracker. A state Senate Housing Committee analysis shows the bill was softened along the way: amendments dropped a proposed 25% cut in potable water demand and a requirement that new buildings be "drought proofed" with graywater capture, leaving the agencies to develop voluntary and mandatory standards while weighing feasibility and cost. The bill also covers new homes through the state housing department, but this filing deals only with nonresidential buildings.
The current comment period is about scope, not code text. The draft EIR will look at the full list of standard environmental topics, from air quality and energy to utilities and wildfire, plus alternatives. It will also consider possible future California Plumbing Code amendments, though the notice says none are proposed yet.
A virtual scoping meeting is set for 10 a.m. Nov. 12 on Microsoft Teams, with a phone-in option at 949-266-9993. Written comments are due by 5 p.m. Nov. 19 to environmental@dgs.ca.gov or by mail to the Department of General Services, Attn: Stephanie Coleman, 107 3rd St., 4th Floor, West Sacramento, CA 95605, with the subject line "Amendments to the 2028 California Green Building Standards Project."
Why it matters for Contractors
Nothing changes on your jobs until 2029, and the actual code language isn't out yet. But if you build or plumb commercial projects in California, this is the start of a rule that could add water reuse systems or alternative-water pre-plumbing to new buildings. That affects design, rough-in, cost and scheduling.
Most small shops can wait for the 2027 comment period, when there will be real text to react to. If you're a plumbing or commercial GC who already does purple-pipe or graywater work, it's worth sitting in on the Nov. 12 scoping meeting and flagging cost and feasibility issues early.