Soft-Story Seismic Retrofit

1. What is a Soft-Story or weak front building?

A soft story building is one with soft, weak, or open-front walls on one or more side of the
first story. These buildings typically have tuck-under parking and storage with one story of
apartment units above or they have a wall that has mostly door or window openings with
very a low percentage of structural wall framing in between.
 

2. What buildings will be affected by the proposed ordinance?

The buildings affected by the ordinance are multi-family residential buildings permitted
prior to 1978 and have either:

1. Tuck-under parking on the first story with one or more stories above containingat three or more units, or
2. A weak front first story with two or more stories above.

 

3. Why are the buildings separated by the year 1978?

California Assembly Bill 304, passed in 2005, encourages Cities to implement a
mandatory seismic retrofit of soft story buildings constructed or permitted prior to 1978
when the Building Code changed because of the San Fernando earthquake in 1991.
 

4. How was the list of affected properties compiled and organized?

The list was compiled from permits records and a visual inspection from the street. The
properties permitted prior to 1978 were place into three groups based on number of units.
Group I is comprised of buildings with 10 or more units, Group II is 5 to 9 units and Group
III is 3 to 4 units. The properties permitted after 1978 are not subject to this proposed
ordinance.
 

5. When would the ordinance go into effect?

The ordinance is expected to go before the City Council in the fall of 2024. Once
adopted by the Council, the ordinance takes effect in 30 days.
 

6. When will I be notified?

The Notices will be sent out no sooner than the date specified in the ordinance.

7. How long will I have to complete the work?

The timeline to complete the work will be defined by the approved ordinance.

8. Do I have to retrofit the entire building?

The extent of the construction depends on the overall structure and the engineer report, but
the ordinance requires that only the Soft-Story condition be corrected.

9. How long will the construction take?

The construction time will vary depending on the size of the building and the scope of
the required corrections. The construction could take as little as three to four weeks for
a small project and two to three months for a larger building.
 

10. Do I need an engineer?

An engineer licensed in the State of California is required to submit the assessment
report or the designed plans with accompanying calculations.

11. Where can I find a contractor?

The City cannot recommend any one contractor or engineer.
The following below are resources that can be used to search for a contractor.
Contractor State License Board:
https://cslb.ca.gov/
California Department of Consumer Affairs: How to Hire a Contractor:
https://www.cslb.ca.gov/Consumers/Hire_A_Contractor/
 

12. Where can I find a Licensed Engineer?

The Structural Engineers Association of California has a listing of licensed engineers. The
web site is https://seaosc.org/Member-Services-Search

13. What will happen if the work is not completed within the time limit?

If the work is not performed according to the time limits of the ordinance, the case may be
referred to the City Attorney for further enforcement. A Notice stating that the building has
not complied will be recorded on the property with the County Assessor.