Los Angeles Mandatory Soft Story Retrofit

Soft story retrofit requirements in Los Angeles are set forth by Ordinance 183893 and Ordinance 184081.

Los Angeles is considered to be in a seismic hazard zone. Which means it is geologically located in an area that has a high level of potential hazard due to earthquakes. As a result, the city has come up with ordinances that are meant to reduce structural deficiencies of buildings.

The purpose of soft story retrofit requirements in Los Angeles is to promote public safety by reducing the risk of death or injury that may result from the effects of earthquakes. These ordinances require buildings on existing wood-frame multi-story buildings with soft, weak or open front walls to complete a soft story retrofit.

Owners of buildings that are required to have a mandatory soft story retrofit in Los Angeles will be given an order to comply. Building owners must take action within certain time frames after being given an order to comply. If building owners do not take action within the given time frames, they risk being fined.

Buildings With Soft Story Retrofit Requirements in Los Angeles

Buildings that are subject to the soft story retrofit requirements in Los Angeles are buildings with wood-frame construction or portions of wood-frame construction that have 4 units or more, where:

1. A permit for construction of the building was applied for before January 1, 1978.
2. The ground floor portion of the structure contains parking or other similar open floor space that causes soft, weak or open-front wall lines, and there exists one or more stories above. An example would be a hanging car port.

3 Priority Levels of Buildings That Have Soft Story Retrofit Requirements in Los Angeles

There are 3 separate priorities of buildings that fall under the mandatory soft story retrofit program of Los Angeles.

All owners of these buildings will be sent an “order to comply.” These orders to comply will be sent our accordingly based on the following 3 priorities:

Priority 1 Buildings

Priority 1 buildings are separated into 2 different categories. These are buildings with 16 units or more.

Category 1 of Priority 1 Buildings

Category 1 of priority 1 buildings are those with 3 stories or more. This category’s start date for sending out orders to comply is May 2, 2016.

Category 2 of Priority 1 Buildings

Category 2 of priority 1 buildings are those with 2 stories or more. This category’s start date for sending out orders to comply is July 22, 2016.

Priority 2 Buildings

Priority 2 buildings are all categorized together. They are buildings with 3 stories or more but with 16 units or less.

The start date for sending out orders to comply on priority 2 buildings is October 17, 2016.

Priority 3 Buildings

Priority 3 buildings are separated into 4 different categories. These are buildings that do not fall within the definition of priority 1 or priority 2.

Category 1 of Priority 3 Buildings

Category 1 of priority 3 buildings are those with 9-15 units. This category’s start date for sending out orders to comply is July 24, 2017.

Category 2 of Priority 3 Buildings

Category 2 of priority 3 buildings are those with 7-8 units. This category’s start date for sending out orders to comply is August 21, 2017.

Category 3 of Priority 3 Buildings

Category 3 of priority 3 buildings are those with 4-6 units. This category’s start date for sending out orders to comply is September 25, 2017.

Category 4 of Priority 3 Buildings

Category 4 of priority 3 buildings are those with condos and commercial units. This category’s start date for sending out orders to comply is November 6, 2017.

Is There a Required Time Frame After Receiving An Order to Comply?

Yes, after receiving an order to comply with soft story retrofit requirements, building owners will have set times to take action before being fined. There are 3 separate time frames that building owners must meet.

2 Year Time Frame

Building owners must submit one of the following in order to meet the 2 year time frame requirement after receiving an order to comply.

• Plans to retrofit the building, or
• Plans to demolish the building, or
• Proof of previous retrofit.

3.5 Year Time Frame

Building owners must obtain one of the following permits in order to meet the 3.5 year time frame requirement after receiving an order to comply.

• Permit to start construction of the soft story retrofit, or
• Permit to demolish the building.

7 Year Time Frame

Building owners must complete construction or demolition in order to meet the 7 year time frame requirement after receiving an order to comply.

Do you have any additional questions about soft story retrofit requirements in Los Angeles? Our experts would be more than happy to answer any of your questions. Give us a call or email anytime for more information.