Does My Building Need a Retrofit?

The City of Los Angeles recently passed Ordinance 183893, which requires the retrofit of pre-1978 wood-frame soft-story buildings and non-ductile concrete buildings. The goal of the mandatory retrofit programs, under the ordinance, is to reduce these structural deficiencies and improve the performance of these buildings during earthquakes. Without proper strengthening, these vulnerable buildings may be subjected to structural failure during and/or after an earthquake.

If you receive an order from the City of Los Angeles, you may need to retrofit your building. You need to hire a licensed professional engineer(civil or structural) to conduct a structural evaluation of your building. This investigation will determine if the ordinance does or does not require retrofit of your building. Failure to comply with the ordinance is a misdemeanor, and may result in prosecution and/or administrative enforcement under the Los Angeles Municipal Code.

Buildings that are most vulnerable have been identified with the following criteria:

• Consist of 2 or more stories wood frame construction
• Built under building code standards enacted before January 1, 1978
• Contains ground floor parking or other similar open floor space

There are an estimated 13,500 soft story structures in Los Angeles alone that have been identified to be in need of a retrofit. Retrofitting soft story buildings has now become mandatory by the City of Los Angeles.

To get started today or for more information, contact us today to schedule a FREE on-site inspection by our team of soft-story experts or call us now at (818)287-8002.

Posted on Friday, August 2nd, 2019.