Berkeley Soft-Story Ordinance
The City of Berkeley requires owners of soft, weak or open front (SWOF) buildings with five or more dwelling units to retrofit their buildings per Berkeley Municipal Code Chapter 19.39. Owners were required to apply for a building permit by December 31, 2016 and have two years to complete the work after submitting their permit application. The law took effect January 4, 2014 and applies to wood frame buildings constructed prior to 1978.
Learn about the PACE Program here (https://www.cityofberkeley.info/PACE/ ) a financing option for seismic retrofits in Berkeley
SWOF building owners must also post an earthquake warning sign and notify their tenants of the building’s potentially hazardous condition. Under the first phase of the soft story program, starting in 2005, SWOF building owners were required to submit an engineering evaluation report identifying their building’s weaknesses and ways to remedy those weaknesses.
If you are still in need of Earthquake Retrofitting Berkeley, call Retrofit1 today for your free estimate! We provide both engineering and construction. 1-844-4Retro1 (473-8761).
