Earthquake Safety in San Diego, CA (2026)
1 verified earthquake safety rules for San Diego, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Unreinforced Masonry
San Diego has an active Unreinforced Masonry (URM) Building ordinance requiring retrofit or demolition of pre-1939 URM buildings. In 2001, 884 URM buildings were identified. The Development Services Department has worked with owners to bring nearly all into compliance, with only 14 buildings remaining as of recent enforcement.
San Diego Unreinforced Masonry Building (URM) Ordinance
Some RestrictionsSan Diego Unreinforced Masonry Buildings Ordinance
Unreinforced masonry buildings (URM) were constructed with a building permit issued before March 24, 1939, and contain structural load-bearing walls made of: Un-reinforced adobe; Burned clay; Concrete or sand-lime brick; Hollow clay or concrete block; Plain concrete; Hollow clay tile; Rubble and cut stone; or Unburned clay masonry. URMs were not built using modern building codes and contain wal...
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County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement San Diego city rules.
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