Sierra Madre, California Residential Repair Specialists

By now, many Sierra Madre commercial property owners are familiar with the mandatory requirements of the City of Sierra Madre‘s Soft Story retrofitting program, which has identified nearly 2,000 commercial and multi-family residential buildings within the City limits, that are threatened by, and can sustain damage from, the effects of an earthquake.

Soft Story buildings are vulnerable to earthquake damage because they have one or more floors with large windows and doors, or large commercial spaces, which are less rigid than the floors above them. A good example is an apartment building’s “tuck-under” parking garage, which can literally collapse during an earthquake. Such Sierra Madre Soft Story buildings were popular in the 1940s and 50s, and are now due for a desperately needed safety upgrade!

By the Summer of 2023, the City of Santa Monica has reportedly retrofitted more than half of its seismically vulnerable buildings, a task in the making since 2017, when the city adopted strict Soft Story retrofitting plans.  Under Santa Monica’s standards, nearly 1,964 buildings were originally ordered to be retrofitted, and 1,099 are today compliant with retrofitting laws.  Having said that, hundreds of buildings still have not been retrofitted, and have until 2026 to be upgraded.  Call Weinstein Construction’s Soft Story experts today for your free Soft Story consultation – it’s always better to be prepared and have peace of mind before the next earthquake hits!

Owners of apartment buildings and condominiums in Sierra Madre take note! There are two mandatory state wide Balcony Inspection Laws that must be followed, and both require safety inspections and repairs of “Exterior Elevated Elements” ( “EEE) in such buildings! These EEEs include decks, balconies, stairways, and walkways, that rely in whole or in part on wood structural supports, are elevated more than 6 feet above the ground, and are designed for human use.

The two laws are fairly easy to understand: (i) Senate Bill 721 mandates that multi-family apartment buildings to undergo a safety inspection by January 1, 2025, and subsequently, at least every 6 years, and Senate Bill 326 requires condo owners or Condominium Associations to complete a safety inspection by January 1, 2025, but thereafter, at least every 9 years; (ii) Both bills require the safety inspections be done by a licensed architect, civil or structural engineer, or a specialty-license building contractor; (iii) If the inspection uncovers issues that are a safety threat, the inspector must report such issues to the local county’s building department and the property owner must remediate any urgent threats immediately; and (iv), while owners of residential apartment buildings have up to 120 days from the issuance of a permit to repair non-urgent issues, Condo Associations are not mandated a timeline to complete non-urgent repairs.

Property owners in Sierra Madre should definitely have their buildings inspected earlier, rather than later, so they can reap the rewards of having more flexibility in scheduling an inspection, as well as lower costs for inspection and remediation. Weinstein Construction’s Sierra Madre Balcony Law specialists stand ready to help in planning for this important and mandatory inspection program!