Soft-Story Retrofit: Berkeley vs San Leandro
How do soft-story retrofit rules compare between Berkeley, CA and San Leandro, CA?
Berkeley and San Leandro have similar restriction levels.
Berkeley, CA
Alameda County
Berkeley Municipal Code (BMC) Chapter 19.39 requires owners of wood-frame Soft, Weak, or Open Front (SWOF) buildings with five or more dwelling units, built before 1978, to seismically retrofit to a Collapse Prevention performance standard. Berkeley sits directly on the Hayward Fault and was one of the first California cities to mandate SWOF retrofits.
View full Berkeley rules →San Leandro, CA
Alameda County
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.
View full San Leandro rules →Key Facts Comparison
| Fact | Berkeley | San Leandro |
|---|---|---|
| Code Section | BMC Ch. 19.39 | SLMC 7-5, Article 16 (Ord. 24-495) |
| Covered Buildings | Wood-frame, 5+ units, pre-1978, soft/weak/open front | - |
| Permit Deadline | December 31, 2016 | - |
| Construction Deadline | 2 years after permit issuance | - |
| Engineering Standard | IEBC App. A4 / ASCE 41-13 S-5 / FEMA P-807 | - |
| Max Penalty | Up to $5,000/day; $10,000 if injury | - |
| Adopted | - | December 2024 |
| Submission Deadline | - | 18 months from notice of compliance |
| Retrofit Standard | - | 2022 CEBC Appendix Chapter A4 |
| Seismic Design Category | - | D and E (Hayward Fault) |
Highlighted rows indicate differences between cities.
Berkeley FAQ
Which Berkeley buildings must retrofit under BMC 19.39?
Wood-frame buildings with 5 or more dwelling units, built under permits issued before January 1, 1978, that have a soft, weak, or open front first story (BMC 19.39.010). Most are tuck-under-parking apartments.
What were the SWOF compliance deadlines?
Per BMC 19.39.110, owners had to apply for a building permit by December 31, 2016 and complete retrofit construction within two years of permit issuance. Owners still out of compliance face daily nuisance penalties.
Do tenants need to be notified?
Yes. Owners must post a city-issued earthquake warning sign at the building entrance and give written notice to every tenant of the building's hazardous condition until retrofitting is complete.
San Leandro FAQ
Does my San Leandro apartment building need a soft-story retrofit?
If you own a wood-frame residential building of 3 or more units with a soft, weak, or open-front first story (such as tuck-under parking), Ordinance 24-495 likely applies. The Building Official sends formal notice, after which owners have 18 months to submit a structural analysis or permit application under SLMC 7-5 Article 16.
What is the retrofit standard for San Leandro soft-story buildings?
Retrofits must comply with or be substantially equivalent to Appendix Chapter A4 of the 2022 California Existing Building Code, designed for San Leandro's Seismic Design Category D and E risk level due to the Hayward Fault.
Compare other topics
See how Berkeley and San Leandro compare on other ordinance categories.
Want to add a third city?
Use our full comparison tool to compare up to three cities.
Open Comparison Tool