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Earthquake Safety in Santa Cruz, CA (2026)

2 verified earthquake safety rules for Santa Cruz, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.

Verified from official government sources

Foundation Anchoring

Santa Cruz Municipal Code §18.44.020 adopts the 1970 Uniform Building Code §2314 by reference for seismic standards. Modern construction follows the California Building Code (adopted under §18.04).

Santa Cruz Seismic Retrofit Standards

Some Restrictions

Unreinforced Masonry

Santa Cruz Municipal Code Ch. 18.44 (Earthquake Hazard Reduction) adopts the 1987 Uniform Code for Building Conservation Appendix Chapter A1 for seismic retrofit of unreinforced masonry (URM) bearing wall buildings.

Santa Cruz Unreinforced Masonry Retrofit

Heavy Restrictions

Looking for Santa Cruz County county-wide rules?

County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Santa Cruz city rules.

Earthquake Safety in Santa Cruz County