(a)  Any fire protection district organized pursuant to Part 2.7 (commencing with Section 13800) of Division 12 may adopt building standards relating to fire and panic safety that are more stringent than those building standards adopted by the State Fire Marshal and contained in the California Building Standards Code. For these purposes, the district board shall be deemed a legislative body and the district shall be deemed a local agency. Any changes or modifications that are more stringent than the requirements published in the California Building Standards Code relating to fire and panic safety shall be subject to subdivision (b) of Section 18941.5.

(b)  Any fire protection district that proposes to adopt an ordinance pursuant to this section shall, not less than 30 days prior to noticing a proposed ordinance for public hearing, provide a copy of that ordinance, together with the adopted findings made pursuant to subdivision (a), to the city, county, or city and county where the ordinance will apply. The city, county, or city and county, may provide the district with written comments, which shall become part of the fire protection district’s public hearing record.

(c)  The fire protection district shall transmit the adopted ordinance to the city, county, or city and county where the ordinance will apply. The legislative body of the city, county, or city and county, may ratify, modify, or deny an adopted ordinance and transmit its determination to the district within 15 days of the determination. Any modification or denial of an adopted ordinance shall include a written statement describing the reasons for any modifications or denial. No ordinance adopted by the district shall be effective until ratification by the city, county, or city and county where the ordinance will apply. Upon ratification of an adopted ordinance, the city, county, or city and county, shall file a copy of the findings of the district, and any findings of the city, county, or city and county, together with the adopted ordinance expressly marked and identified to which each finding refers, with the Department of Housing and Community Development.

(d)  Nothing in this section shall authorize a district to mandate, nor prohibit a district from mandating, the installation of residential fire sprinkler systems within newly constructed dwelling units or in new additions to existing dwelling units, including, but not limited to, manufactured homes as defined in Section 18007.

(e)  Nothing in this section shall authorize a district to mandate, nor prohibit a district from mandating, the retrofitting of existing dwelling units for the installation of residential fire sprinkler systems, including, but not limited to, manufactured homes as defined in Section 18007.

(f)  Nothing in this section shall apply in any manner to litigation filed prior to January 1, 1991, regarding an ordinance or regulation which mandates the installation of residential fire sprinkler systems within newly constructed dwelling units or in new additions to existing dwelling units.

(g)  This section shall not apply to fire and panic safety requirements for the public schools adopted by the State Fire Marshal pursuant to Section 13143.

(h)  (1)  A city, county, or city and county that ratifies an ordinance relating to fire and panic safety pursuant to this section shall delegate the enforcement of the ordinance to either of the following:

(A)  The chief of the fire protection district that adopted the ordinance, or his or her authorized representative.

(B)  The chief building official of the city, county, or city and county, or his or her authorized representative.

(2)  Any fee charged pursuant to the enforcement authority of this subdivision shall not exceed the estimated reasonable cost of providing the service for which the fee is charged, pursuant to Section 66014 of the Government Code.

(Amended by Stats. 1993, Ch. 906, Sec. 13. Effective October 8, 1993. Operative January 1, 1994, by Sec. 24 of Ch. 906.)