Earthquake Retrofits Mandated for Los Angeles Facilities

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has signed a new ordinance that requires owners of the most vulnerable building types in the city –  non-ductile reinforced concrete facilities and soft first-story buildings – to implement seismic safety measures that protect building occupants from harm during earthquakes.

Soft first-story buildings, built before 1980, have a wood frame and a large opening on the first floor for features like retail display windows, garage doors, or tuck-under parking. Under the new law, owners or facility managers of soft-first story buildings will have one year to have their facilities inspected to assess whether or not an acceptable retrofit has already been performed and an additional year to acquire any necessary permits for retrofits, with seven total years being allotted to complete the retrofits inclusive of the first two.

Managers and owners of buildings made of non-ductile reinforced concrete have three years to assess and submit documentation to the city and 10 years to assess whether a retrofit had been performed, with a limit of 25 years before retrofits must be completed, including the first 13.