LA Soft Story Ordinance - A Los Angeles Multifamily Blog

Update: Los Angeles Multifamily Seismic Retrofit Ordinance

In the wake of the 4.0 magnitude earthquake last night in Los Angeles, here are a few recent bullet points pertaining to the LA Seismic Retrofit Ordinance. The ordinance (which was passed in 2015 by the City of Los Angeles) mandated that all “soft story” multifamily properties 3+ units with ‘tuck-under’ parking be earthquake retrofitted to avoid collapsing, as some did in the 1994 Northridge quake.

The photos in this post are from a retrofit taking place at an 8-unit property in West Los Angeles right now. The total cost of this construction was approximately $70,000 to complete.

– 13,031 Total Soft Story Buildings in Los Angeles

– 5,813 properties completed seismic retrofits (as of 3/2021)

– 8,218 properties pending compliance (as of 3/2021)

– $52,000 is the average cost for a multifamily owner to retrofit

It should be noted that the City of Los Angeles passed this ordinance which effected multifamily owners without any clear cut options for them to finance the construction work. As a result, many multifamily owners in Los Angeles were forced to pay (in some instances) over $100,000 to comply with the ordinance. Many were forced to sell their properties as a result.

What You Need to Know About the Los Angeles Soft Story Building Earthquake Retrofit Ordinance

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Chances are, before 2015 you may not have even heard of the term “soft story building.” However by now, if you own multifamily property in Los Angeles, the city-wide soft story ordinance is pretty much all you are hearing about. In November of 2015, Los Angeles Mayor, Eric Garcetti, passed the most sweeping mandatory seismic regulation in the nation ordering some 14,000 soft story apartment properties built before January 1, 1978 to undergo significant earthquake retrofitting to prevent buildings from crumbling as a result of violent shaking from an earthquake.

What is a soft-story building?

A soft-story building is a structure which has a weaker first floor and is unable to carry the weight of the stories above during an earthquake. The first floor generally would have large openings in the perimeter walls such as garages, tuck under parking or even large windows.

Buildings that are most vulnerable have been identified with the following criteria:

Consist of 2 or more stories wood frame construction
Built under building code standards enacted before January 1, 1978
Contains ground floor parking or other similar open floor space

***The program does not apply to residential buildings with 3 or less units.

Notices to owners will go out in the following phases:

Phase I. Buildings with 16 or more dwelling units

3-story and above – May 2, 2016
Condos/Commercial – Oct 30, 2017

Phase II. Buildings with 3 or more stories

With less than 16 units – Oct 17, 2016

Phase III. Buildings not falling within the definition of Priority I or II

With 9-15 units – Jan 30, 2017
With 4-6 units – Aug 14, 2017
With 7-8 units – May 29, 2017
2-story – July 22, 2016

Timing of compliance:

From the receipt of the Order to Comply, qualifying soft story building owners must:

Within 2 years: Submit proof of previous retrofit, or plans to retrofit or demolish
Within 3.5 years: Obtain permit to start construction or demolition
Within 7 years: Complete construction

For further information, please visit this dedicated soft story ordinance website for the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety.