Torrance Soft-Story Ordinance
The City of Torrance adopted Ordinance No. 3916, creating a mandatory seismic retrofit program for several vulnerable building types. For soft-story properties, the ordinance applies to certain older wood-frame multi-unit residential buildings with soft, weak, or open-front wall lines.
Torrance approved the ordinance on March 14, 2023, and it became effective on April 11, 2023. The City’s Seismic Retrofit Program explains that the ordinance is part of a broader effort to reduce collapse risk in older buildings designed under outdated code standards.
Which Buildings Are Covered?
Under Article 1 of Ordinance No. 3916, the soft-story provisions apply to existing wood-frame buildings, or wood-frame portions of buildings, when the Building Official determines that:
- The building was constructed under code standards enacted before the 1976 Uniform Building Code, with local amendments adopted on August 1, 1978
- The ground floor or basement contains parking or similar open floor space that creates soft, weak, or open-front wall lines
- One or more stories exist above the open ground-floor or basement level
The ordinance does not apply to single-family homes or multi-family residential buildings with three or fewer units, so the practical threshold for multi-unit residential buildings is generally four or more units.
What the Ordinance Requires
Owners of buildings within the scope of the ordinance must have the structure investigated and analyzed by a California licensed design professional. If the building does not meet the minimum seismic standards in the ordinance, the owner must complete the required strengthening work within the City’s compliance timeline.
Those deadlines are not measured from the date the ordinance passed. They begin after the owner receives an official notice from the City.
Torrance Soft-Story Compliance Timeline
For buildings determined to fall within the ordinance, the deadlines in Table A run from the date of the notice to the owner:
- Screening report: within 1 year
- Retrofit plans: within 2 years
- Permit: within 3 years
- Commence construction: within 4 years
- Complete construction: within 5 years
Priority Designations
Torrance prioritizes enforcement based on building type and size. Table B of the ordinance establishes the following groups:
- Priority I: buildings containing 3 or more stories
- Priority II: buildings with 2 stories containing 7 or more units
- Priority III: buildings that do not fall within Priority I or Priority II
These designations determine the order in which the Building Official may issue notices to owners of buildings expected to fall within the scope of the ordinance.
Appeals, Extensions, and Current Status
If the Building Official determines that a property falls under the ordinance, the owner may appeal within 30 days of the order or decision. The filing of an appeal stays the underlying order and associated time limits while the appeal is pending.
The ordinance also allows owners to request an extension when there is good cause, such as difficulty securing funding or a contractor despite documented best efforts. If a building is not brought into compliance within the required timeframe, it may be declared unsafe and become subject to additional enforcement under the California Building Code.
According to the City’s Seismic Retrofit Program, Torrance has approved the ordinance and established the program framework, but the City has also stated that it has been preparing for implementation and that notification letters have not yet been sent to affected properties. Owners should confirm current notice status and property-specific requirements through City records.
Get Clear on Your Torrance Retrofit Status
If you own an older multi-unit wood-frame building with open parking or another vulnerable ground-floor condition, the next step is understanding whether the property may fall within Torrance’s ordinance and what the City’s records show. Retrofit1 can help property owners review likely ordinance applicability, coordinate licensed structural evaluation, and plan the path through screening, permitting, and structural strengthening when work is required.
When a property needs seismic improvements beyond the soft-story ordinance itself, those broader upgrades can be planned through earthquake retrofitting in Torrance while keeping ordinance compliance and broader retrofit planning clearly separated.