Yesterday our co-founder Eric Quanbeck attended the City of San Rafael council meeting, along with a group of experts including the American Fence Association, to adopt important changes pertaining to gate safety within the California building code.
The amendment states that any manual or automated gate more than 48" wide or 80" tall must meet minimum safety requirements including: positive stops, covered wheels, and installed solutions that prevent the fence from falling more than 45 degrees from a vertical plane if it is detached from supporting hardware.
In addition to these new safety features required; the city will also require safety inspections by a licensed inspector at the time of installation, and every five years following installation to ensure proper maintenance.
This first-of-its-kind amendment to the California Building Code, which many municipalities follow as the guideline for local regulations, will go into effect on January 1, 2023 and apply to all new and existing gates within the city.
The council members for the City of San Rafael unanimously voted to approve this new language in their municipal building code requiring simple, lifesaving features for all manual gates - including those on schools, commercial and residential properties.
Safety doesn't stop at the fences and gates around our schools and playgrounds, but it does start with this simple change at the municipal level in the City of San Rafael.
With your help, we can get similar amendments approved in other cities, counties, and states across the country. Send us a note if we can offer any additional supporting information to help you connect with your local lawmakers about implementing this change within your own community.
Watch the full presentation from last night's City of San Rafael Council meeting at:
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