SPECIALTY SERVICES: SEISMIC REINFORCEMENT

SUBJECT BUILDINGS

 

All San Francisco buildings that are wood-framed, permitted for construction prior to 1978, contain five or more residential dwelling units and are three or more stories or two stories over a basement or underfloor area that have any portion extending above grade, and have not yet been seismically strengthened have been noticed as part of this program and will be required to complete and return a screening form. These buildings are not necessarily seismically unsafe, but rather fit the scope and criteria of buildings known to have weaknesses that the Soft Story Retrofit Ordinance wishes to address. This screening process will determine a building’s status within this program. 

 

SUBMITTAL PROCEDURES AND TIMELINE 

 

HOW TO SUBMIT A SCREENING FORM

1. You may submit your completed form via email as a PDF attachment to softstory@sfgov.org or as a hard copy by U.S. mail to Soft Story Program, 1660 Mission Street - 1st Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103. The Department does not allow submittal by fax.

2. Screening Forms must all be submitted by September 15, 2014.

3. Please be sure your screening form is, if required, completed by a licensed design professional, as well as stamped and signed.

4. Submit all three pages of the form, even if some sections are not required. Keep a copy for your records

 FORMS

• Screening Form Instructions

• Screening Form

• Optional Evaluation Form

 

VOLUNTARY STRUCTURAL WORK EXEMPTION

AB-094: which set criteria for voluntary retrofits, went into effect on May 26, 2009. If you completed a retrofit in compliance with AB-094 prior to June 18, 2013, then you are in compliance with the requirements of this ordinance. Please follow instructions on screening form.

 

Other Retrofits: SFBC Section 3402B Exception 1 exempts retrofits completed within the last 15 years if they satisfied the requirements now found in SFBC Section 1604.11. However, because this exemption will likely require more careful review of various documents (plans, calculations, etc.), owners seeking this exemption must submit documentation together with the separate Optional Evaluation Form. Please fill out all sections of the Screening Form and submit. 

 

HOW TO OBTAIN A PERMIT

To obtain a permit, two sets of plans are required to be prepared by a licensed architect, civil or structural engineer. Drawings shall be a minimum size of 11”x17” with all character height to be a minimum of ?”. Each page of plans are required to be wet signed and stamped by the design professional of record and the submittal documents should also include two sets of structural calculations with the cover pages wet signed and stamped. The permit applicant should also complete the submittal requirement checklist included in SFBC AB-106.

 

To start the permit application process, start at the first floor information counter and complete an application form. Once the form is complete the first floor counter staff will check your application for completeness and if the property has any outstanding complaints or violations. After this step you will be directed to the Over-The-Counter (OTC) intake staff located on the 5th floor. The permit technician will review your plans for the minimum completeness standards and establish the required routing stations based on the proposed scope of work.

 

While not required, the Department strongly encourages the design professional to be present during this process. This will greatly assist the structural plan reviewer to address any questions or concerns with the design.

 

TIMELINE