Seismic Retrofit · Los Angeles
Soft-Story Seismic Retrofit in Los Angeles
Full compliance with the City of Los Angeles Soft-Story Retrofit Program, from engineering through LADBS final inspection, under one license.
The requirement
Retrofit is required in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Soft-Story Retrofit Program (Ordinance 183893)
The City of Los Angeles adopted Ordinance 183893 in 2015 to strengthen the wood-frame buildings most likely to collapse in a major earthquake, and began issuing orders to comply in 2016. The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS) administers the program, and the compliance clock starts the day the order arrives.
Cal Retrofit handles the entire path for Los Angeles owners: structural engineering coordinated with our sister company Naxa, steel moment frames and cantilever columns installed to the city standard, plan check responses, and final certification with LADBS.
What we install
The Los Angeles retrofit scope.
01 · Scope
Steel moment frames at the open-front bay
02 · Scope
Cantilever columns where moment frames are infeasible
03 · Scope
Shear wall reinforcement at perimeter and interior walls
04 · Scope
Hold-downs, drag beams, and structural anchoring
05 · Scope
Concrete footing or grade-beam work as required
How a Los Angeles project runs
Six steps from free survey to closeout.
01
Free property survey
100% free property survey, inspection, and measurement. We walk the building, document conditions, and tell you exactly what compliance requires.
02
Engineering and plans
Our engineering partner Naxa prepares architectural and structural plans, sealed and ready for plan check.
03
Tenant notifications
Tenant Habitability Plan and HCID-LA notifications prepared and filed. We handle every required disclosure.
04
Construction begins
Crews mobilize with all materials, labor, and equipment. Documented quality control. Daily field logs.
05
City inspection
Coordination with Department of Building and Safety inspectors. We schedule the inspections and resolve any callouts.
06
Tenant cost-sharing
Up to half of qualifying retrofit cost can be passed to tenants over ten years, coordinated through HCID-LA approval.
Los Angeles retrofit questions
Straight answers for Los Angeles owners.
- Is soft-story retrofit mandatory in Los Angeles?
- Yes. Under Ordinance 183893, the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS) requires owners of qualifying soft-story wood-frame buildings to retrofit them. Once an order to comply is issued, the compliance timeline begins.
- How do I know if my Los Angeles building qualifies?
- Buildings qualify if they are wood-frame, two or more stories, built under permits issued before January 1, 1978, and contain ground-floor parking or other open spaces that create a weak, or soft, story. Buildings with three or fewer units are excluded. Cal Retrofit confirms eligibility during a free property survey.
- How long do I have to complete a soft-story retrofit in Los Angeles?
- From the date of the order to comply, owners have 2 years to submit retrofit plans, 3.5 years to obtain the permit, and 7 years to complete construction.
Other cities we serve
Soft-story retrofit across Southern California.
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