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Earthquake Safety in San Leandro, CA (2026)

4 verified earthquake safety rules for San Leandro, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.

Verified from official government sources

Soft-Story Retrofit

San Leandro Ordinance 24-495 (adopted December 2024) added Article 16 to SLMC Title 7 Chapter 7-5 (Building Code), creating a mandatory Earthquake Hazard Reduction program for existing wood-frame residential buildings with soft, weak, or open-front ground-story walls. Owners must submit a structural-adequacy analysis within 18 months of receiving City notice.

San Leandro Soft-Story Retrofit Ordinance

Heavy Restrictions

Foundation Anchoring

San Leandro adopts the 2022 California Building Code through SLMC Title 7 Chapter 7-5. CBC Section 2308 (conventional light-frame construction) and Appendix Chapter A3 of the California Existing Building Code govern bolting wood-framed homes to their foundations. The City is in Seismic Design Category D and E due to the adjacent Hayward Fault.

San Leandro Foundation Anchoring Requirements

Some Restrictions

Unreinforced Masonry

California's URM Law (Government Code 8875 et seq.) required San Leandro and all SDC D/E jurisdictions to inventory unreinforced masonry buildings and adopt a mitigation program. San Leandro adopted Chapter 4 of the State's Guidelines for Seismic Retrofit of Existing Buildings in September 2002, applying retrofit triggers to identified URM structures.

San Leandro Unreinforced Masonry Building Rules

Some Restrictions

California Government Code Section 8875 (Unreinforced Masonry Buildings)

8875. Unless the context otherwise requires, the following definitions shall govern the construction of this chapter: (a) "Potentially hazardous building" means any building constructed prior to the adoption of local building codes requiring earthquake resistant design of buildings and constructed of unreinforced masonry wall construction. "Potentially hazardous building" includes all buildings...

Seismic Gas Shutoff

California Health and Safety Code 19200-19205 and California Building Code 1.8.5 require seismic gas shutoff valves for certain new construction and major alterations. In San Leandro, PG&E and the City Building & Safety Division enforce these triggers under SLMC Title 7 Chapter 7-5.

San Leandro Seismic Gas Shutoff Valve Rules

Some Restrictions

California Health & Safety Code Section 19200 (Seismic Gas Shutoff Devices)

Health and Safety Code - HSC DIVISION 13. HOUSING [17000 - 19997] PART 3. MISCELLANEOUS [19000 - 19892] CHAPTER 2. Earthquake Protection [19100 - 19217] ARTICLE 7. Seismic Gas Shutoff Devices [19200 - 19204] 19200. The Legislature finds and declares that existing law does not require that any new seismic gas shutoff valve sold by any person in this state shall, prior to sale, be certified by th...

Looking for Alameda County county-wide rules?

County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement San Leandro city rules.

Earthquake Safety in Alameda County