San Jose Soft Story Retrofit
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San José Soft Story Retrofit Ordinance & Program
Effective April 1, 2025
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The San José City Council has approved a Mandatory Soft Story Retrofit Ordinance and Program to improve the safety of soft story buildings in the city. The ordinance will require building owners to retrofit their structures in order to reduce the risk of damage during earthquakes.
What is a Soft Story Building?
A soft story building is typically characterized by the following:
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Wood-frame construction with at least three residential units.
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Built before 1990.
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May have crawl spaces without earthquake retrofitting.
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Includes large openings used for parking, storage, etc.
Building Categories
Subject buildings are grouped by their construction date and the number of residential units they contain:
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Group 1:
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Built before January 1, 1978
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Contains five or more units
Group 2:
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Built between January 1, 1978 and January 1, 1990
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Contains five or more units
Group 3:
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Built before January 1, 1990
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Contains three or more units
Buildings that don’t fit into Group 1 or 2 will fall into Group 3.
Compliance Deadlines
Owners of subject buildings will be required to meet the following compliance deadlines:
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Screening Phase Deadline:
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All groups must be screened by October 1, 2026 (18 months from the ordinance's effective date).
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Design, Permit, and Construction Phase Deadlines:
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Group 1: April 1, 2030
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Group 2: April 1, 2031
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Group 3: April 1, 2032
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