Burbank

The city of Burbank has established a voluntary program for the retrofit of existing wood frame residential buildings with soft, weak, or open front walls. The Burbank Municipal Code Title 9, Chapter 1, Section16-A300 adopts Chapter A4 of the 2019 California Existing Building Code (CEBC) be followed as part of this voluntary effort.

Scope

The CEBC Chapter A4 Earthquake Risk Reduction in Wood-Frame Residential Buildings with Soft, Weak, or Open Front Walls applies to existing buildings that have the following characteristics:

• Two or more stories
• Occupants are transient in nature (IEBC, R-1) or contain more than two dwelling units for more permanent occupants (IEBC, R-2)
• Contains a soft, weak, or open-front wall line with one or more stories above

Timeline

The city of Burbank established this ordinance with compliance on a voluntary basis. Therefore, there are no deadlines for conformance. However, it is recommended that the provisions outlined in the CEBC be followed on a timely basis to promote public welfare and safety by reducing earthquake-related damage of buildings of wood-frame soft-story construction.