Long Beach

The city of Long Beach does not currently mandate the retrofit of non-ductile concrete buildings; however, work is underway to develop a Building Resiliency Program. The intent of the program is to reduce the risk of earthquake-related damage and promote life safety in the city’s commercial and multifamily buildings.  See the links on this page for information on the program’s progress and key dates.

The city of Long Beach currently has a voluntary program in place for the retrofit of existing non-ductile concrete buildings. The voluntary program also includes wood-frame soft-story structures, reinforced concrete or masonry buildings with flexible diaphragms (tilt-up), and concrete frame buildings with masonry infills. It is anticipated that the voluntary non-ductile concrete building retrofit program (Chapter 18.71 of the Long Beach Building Standards Code) will be replaced by the proposed Building Resiliency Program. 

Scope

The existing voluntary seismic retrofit program for the city of Long Beach includes non-ductile concrete buildings that have the following characteristics:

• Concrete floors and/or concrete roofs supported by reinforced concrete walls or concrete frames and columns, and/or concrete frames with masonry infills
• Designed using the Building Code in effect before January 13, 1976 or built with permits issued prior to January 13, 1977

The city of Long Beach intends to conduct a city-wide field survey to identify and document the vulnerable building types identified in the proposed Building Resiliency Program.