Santa Cruz County electrification ordinance goes into effect on Sunday

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV): Santa Cruz County will start requiring new residential construction in urban and unincorporated areas to be designed with permanent sources of electricity as the only form of energy.

The ordinance will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2023. County officials said this was done to help mitigate the effects of climate change.

According to county officials, the ordinance requires that electricity is required for all forms of energy consumption in applicable homes.

This includes heating and cooling, cooking appliances and water heating in pools. The rules will also apply to newly constructed residential developments which include accessible dwelling units located within the urban services line.

Dave Reid is the Santa Cruz County Director of the Office of Response, Recovery, Resilience shared the importance of reducing the carbon footprint in the environment.

"We can achieve carbon neutrality and protect the planet for future generations by taking more actions to decarbonize our lives like this one," Reid said.

Officials say the ordinance will not apply to non-residential buildings, non-residential sections of mixed-use buildings and buildings outside of the county's urban services line.

The ordinance will not apply to existing residential buildings or buildings that were rebuilt due to the CZU Lightning Complex Fire.