San Jose's Mandatory Soft Story Retrofit Ordinance, approved on September 24, 2024, requires owners of wood-frame residential buildings with three or more units, constructed before 1990, to submit a seismic screening report by October 1, 2026. Retrofit completion deadlines are:

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• April 1, 2030: Buildings with five or more units, constructed before January 1, 1978.

• April 1, 2031: Buildings with five or more units, constructed between January 1, 1978, and January 1, 1990.

• April 1, 2032: Buildings with three or more units, constructed before January 1, 1990.

Mill Valley's Mandatory Seismic Retrofit Program, established by Ordinance No. 1343 on June 26, 2023, aims to enhance public safety by requiring seismic retrofitting of certain residential buildings susceptible to earthquake damage. The ordinance became effective on December 26, 2023, and the Building Department will notify owners of identified buildings within 90 days of this date. Compliance deadlines are categorized into tiers, with the initial Screening Form due by December 15, 2024, for all tiers. Subsequent deadlines for obtaining retrofit permits and completing construction vary by tier. For detailed information, including specific compliance deadlines and required forms, please visit the City of Mill Valley's official Soft Story Retrofit Program webpage.

Oakland's Mandatory Soft Story Retrofit Program, established by Ordinance No. 13516 on January 22, 2019, requires seismic retrofitting for certain multi-unit residential buildings. Compliance tiers and their respective retrofit completion deadlines are:

• Tier 1-LB: Buildings with 20 or more dwelling units.

  • Completion Deadline: February 21, 2023.

• Tier 1-NR: Buildings whose owners failed to comply with the 2009 Soft Story Screening Program.

  • Completion Deadline: February 21, 2023.

• Tier 2: Buildings with 5 to 19 dwelling units.

  • Completion Deadline: February 21, 2024.

• Tier 3: Buildings where the soft story contains residential or commercial space.

  • Completion Deadline: February 21, 2025.

San Francisco's Mandatory Soft Story Retrofit Ordinance (Ordinance No. 66-13), enacted on April 18, 2013, required seismic retrofitting of certain multi-family, wood-frame buildings. Compliance deadlines varied by tier, with permit applications due between September 15, 2015, and September 15, 2018, and retrofitting completion deadlines ranging from September 15, 2017, to September 15, 2020, based on building characteristics.