Seismic Retrofit · Santa Monica
Soft-Story Seismic Retrofit in Santa Monica
Cal Retrofit brings Santa Monica soft-story buildings into compliance with the city's mandatory retrofit program, from engineering through final sign-off.
The requirement
Retrofit is required in Santa Monica.
Santa Monica Mandatory Seismic Retrofit Program (Municipal Code Chapter 8.72)
Santa Monica adopted one of the most comprehensive mandatory seismic retrofit programs in the region in 2017, codified in Municipal Code Chapter 8.72. The city inventoried roughly 1,700 soft-story wood-frame buildings and issued orders requiring owners to retrofit them.
Most Santa Monica completion deadlines fell in 2025, so many buildings are now at or past their required date. Cal Retrofit takes owners through the full path: structural engineering with our sister company Naxa, steel moment frames and shear-wall reinforcement, permit coordination, and final certification.
What we install
The Santa Monica 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 Santa Monica 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.
Santa Monica retrofit questions
Straight answers for Santa Monica owners.
- Is soft-story retrofit mandatory in Santa Monica?
- Yes. Santa Monica's mandatory seismic retrofit program, under Municipal Code Chapter 8.72 adopted in 2017, requires owners of designated soft-story buildings to complete a structural retrofit. Most completion deadlines fell in 2025, so many buildings are at or past their deadline.
- What if my Santa Monica building is past its deadline?
- If your building has not been retrofitted and its deadline has passed, it is out of compliance and exposed to enforcement, liability, and insurability problems. Cal Retrofit can assess the building and move quickly to bring it into compliance.
Other cities we serve
Soft-story retrofit across Southern California.
Get a real number