Non-Ductile Concrete Structures
West Hollywood
The city of West Hollywood formally adopted a seismic retrofit program on April 17, 2017. The program is intended to reduce the risk of earthquake-related damage and ensure life safety in the city’s commercial and multifamily buildings. Ordinance 17-1011 establishes the mandatory provisions for strengthening non-ductile concrete structures. The ordinance also contains provisions for buildings constructed with pre-Northridge steel moment frames. The ordinance became effective on August 7, 2018.
Scope
West Hollywood’s mandatory non-ductile concrete ordinance will apply to existing buildings that have the following characteristics:
- Reinforced concrete construction
- Built under building code standards enacted before the 1979 Uniform Building Code with local amendments
The ordinance does not apply to the following structure types:
- Concrete structures with flexible diaphragms
- Single Story structures, unless the lateral system contains concrete moment frame elements
- Wood structures over concrete podium unless the podium contains a major deficiency specified in section 13.36.050.a of the ordinance
- Buildings with a steel lateral resisting system encased in concrete
- Residential common interest developments (as defined by West Hollywood Municipal Code Section 19.90.020)
The city of West Hollywood conducted a visual survey to identify specific buildings that fall within the scope of the City’s seismic retrofit ordinances. The list of properties subject to the West Hollywood Seismic Retrofit Ordinances is available to the public here. The list includes approximately 30 concrete buildings and 40 buildings that have been classified as ‘undetermined’ building types and may be added to the non-ductile concrete category following further investigation.
Priority Designations
The West Hollywood non-ductile concrete ordinance will be carried out in phases. The timeline for compliance for each unique structure begins following distribution of the Notice from the Building Official to Building Owners. Notices are expected to be issued according to the priority levels outlined below.
PRIORITY LEVEL |
BUILDING DESCRIPTION |
---|---|
Priority I. |
8 or more stories |
Priority II. | 3 to 7 stories |
Priority III. | 2 or less stories |
Timeline
The city of West Hollywood requires that non-ductile concrete building retrofits adhere to the timeline shown below. The timeline for each building type is initiated following service of the Notice to the Owner. Notices will be delivered in phases according to the priority levels outlined above.
MILESTONE | REQUIREMENT |
---|---|
BEGIN PROCESS | Service of the Notice to the Building Owner |
3 YEARS AFTER NOTICE | Deadline to submit engineering report and determine all deficiencies |
5 YEARS AFTER NOTICE | Deadline to submit retrofit plans for major deficiency mitigation |
7 YEARS AFTER NOTICE |
Deadline to obtain building permit and commence construction |
10 YEARS AFTER NOTICE | Deadline to complete major deficiency mitigation construction |
13 YEARS AFTER NOTICE |
Deadline to submit retrofit plans (non-major deficiency) |
15 YEARS AFTER NOTICE | Deadline to obtain permit and commence construction (non-major deficiency) |
20 YEARS AFTER NOTICE |
Deadline to complete construction (non-major deficiency) |
CONTACTS
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc.Phone: (626) 696-4650
E-mail: seismicordinances@wje.com
West Hollywood Seismic Retrofit Program
8300 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA, 90069
Phone: 323.848.6848
Email: SeismicProgram@weho.org
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