LA's Division 88 ordinance (1981) was one of the first mandatory URM retrofit programs in the U.S., targeting approximately 8,000 unreinforced masonry bearing wall buildings constructed before October 6, 1933. Owners were required to retrofit, vacate, or demolish. By the mid-1990s roughly 95% of covered buildings had been brought into compliance. Remaining non-compliant buildings face Orders to Vacate or demolition.
Division 88 of the Los Angeles Building Code, enacted in 1981, was a landmark seismic safety ordinance targeting unreinforced masonry bearing wall buildings constructed before October 6, 1933 (the date California first adopted seismic building codes after the Long Beach earthquake). An unreinforced masonry bearing wall is defined as a masonry wall providing vertical support for a floor or roof with a total superimposed load over 100 pounds per linear foot and reinforcing steel area less than 50% of code requirements. The ordinance covered approximately 8,000 buildings and gave owners phased deadlines to either structurally retrofit, permanently vacate, or demolish the buildings. Retrofit standards require adding steel moment frames, shear walls, or other lateral force-resisting systems to bring the building to a life-safety performance level. The program achieved roughly 95% compliance by the mid-1990s. LADBS continues to enforce against any remaining non-compliant URM structures.
Non-compliant buildings subject to Orders to Vacate. City may initiate demolition proceedings for buildings posing imminent danger. Daily fines under LAMC for failure to comply with Order to Comply notices.
Los Angeles, CA
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Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Los Angeles County.
See how other cities in Los Angeles County handle unreinforced masonry.
See how Los Angeles's unreinforced masonry rules stack up against other locations.
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