The short answer
If you own a wood-frame residential building in San Jose with two or more stories and three or more units, built or permitted before January 1, 1990, and the ground floor has large openings for parking, storage, or storefronts, the City’s Mandatory Seismic Retrofit Ordinance likely applies. Every subject building must complete a screening by October 1, 2028. Buildings confirmed to have a weak ground floor must then finish design, permit, and construction by their group’s deadline: April 1, 2032, 2033, or 2034.
About these dates. The City Council delayed the ordinance’s effective date to April 1, 2027. The City program office confirmed the schedule above to us in writing in August 2026. Some City materials, including parts of the program web page, still show earlier dates. Confirm your deadline with the program office before you plan around it.
Who the ordinance applies to
The ordinance, adopted September 24, 2024 as Ordinance 31123 and titled Mandatory Seismic Retrofit of Wood-Frame Target Story Residential Buildings, defines a subject building as one that:
- Was constructed or permitted before January 1, 1990, or was designed to the 1985 or earlier Uniform Building Code;
- Has two or more stories and three or more dwelling units; and
- Has a wood-frame target story.
A target story is, in plain terms, a story that is much weaker or more flexible than the floors above it, usually the ground floor or a partially below-grade level. Tuck-under parking, carports cut into the building, ground-floor retail with wide storefronts, and long walls with many openings are the classic patterns. In the 1989 Loma Prieta and 1994 Northridge earthquakes, these stories racked sideways and collapsed under the weight above.
The City also treats any building it has notified as subject to the ordinance until a screening shows it is exempt. Receiving a notice does not mean your building needs a retrofit. It means you need to answer the question formally.
Compliance groups
All subject buildings share one screening deadline. Retrofit deadlines are staggered by age and size, so the largest and oldest buildings go first.
| Group | Building | Screening due | Retrofit complete |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group 1 | Built before Jan 1, 1978, 5 or more units | Oct 1, 2028 | Apr 1, 2032 |
| Group 2 | Built Jan 1, 1978 to Jan 1, 1990, 5 or more units | Oct 1, 2028 | Apr 1, 2033 |
| Group 3 | All other subject buildings (pre-1990, 3 or more units) | Oct 1, 2028 | Apr 1, 2034 |
In practice Group 3 is mostly three- and four-unit buildings, since larger buildings fall into Groups 1 and 2.
Screening vs. evaluation vs. retrofit
Owners often hear these three words used interchangeably. They are separate steps with separate deliverables.
1. Screening
Screening answers one question: is this a subject building with a wood-frame target story? The City’s screening form is filed online. The screening is the formal record of whether the building is exempt or needs a retrofit, and it is the first step toward grant eligibility. Getting it right matters: an exemption has to be supported by what is actually in the walls and foundation. We perform the screening, document the basis, and prepare the filing.
2. Evaluation
If the screening confirms a target story, an engineer evaluates how the building resists earthquake forces: where the walls are, how loads travel down to the foundation, and how much strength and stiffness the ground floor is missing. The City’s program uses the California Existing Building Code, Appendix Chapter A4, with FEMA P-807 as the companion method for weak-story wood buildings. The evaluation sets the retrofit scope.
3. Retrofit
The retrofit phase covers design, permit, and construction. The engineer prepares stamped drawings and calculations, the City reviews them in plan check, and a contractor builds the work under permit. Typical measures include new plywood shear walls, steel moment frames or cantilever columns at parking openings, new or deepened footings, and hold-downs and connections that tie the upper floors to the strengthened ground floor.
Steps and deadlines
- Now: confirm whether the City considers your building subject, and gather what you have: original plans, permit history, prior engineering reports.
- Before October 1, 2028: complete and file the screening. The City recommends screening early if you want to be considered for grant funding.
- After screening: if a target story is confirmed, engage an engineer for evaluation and retrofit design.
- Permit: submit drawings and calculations to Planning, Building and Code Enforcement for plan check.
- Construction: build the retrofit under permit with City inspections.
- By your group deadline: final inspection and permit sign-off, April 1, 2032, 2033, or 2034.
Design and plan check usually take longer than construction. Owners who wait until the final year compete for the same engineers, plan checkers, and contractors as everyone else in their group.
What drives retrofit cost
Every soft story retrofit is scoped to the building, which is why we do not quote retrofit costs in a guide. These are the factors that move the number:
- Size and number of openings. A building with one row of tuck-under stalls is a different project from one that is open on three sides. Wide openings that must stay open for parking usually need steel frames or columns rather than new walls.
- How many lines of resistance are missing. The evaluation determines how much new strength the ground floor needs and in which directions.
- Foundation condition. New frames and shear walls need footings that can resist uplift and overturning. Shallow, cracked, or undersized existing footings add concrete work.
- Soil and site. Poor soil, slopes, or high groundwater can change foundation design.
- Utilities in the way. Electrical panels, gas meters, water heaters, and plumbing at the ground floor often need to be relocated.
- Occupancy and access. Work around occupied units, parking that must stay usable, and tenant notice requirements affect sequencing.
- Hazardous materials. Older buildings may contain asbestos or lead paint that must be handled before demolition.
- Finishes and code triggers. Patching drywall, stucco, and ceilings, and any upgrades the City requires when permitted work is done.
Funding
Grant programs for soft story retrofits open and close on their own schedules, and eligibility generally starts with a completed screening. Screening early keeps your building in position for funding when a window opens. We track the programs that apply to San Jose buildings and flag them in your scope.
Next steps
We carry San Jose buildings from screening through evaluation, retrofit design, plan check responses, and construction support, so the firm that identified the problem designs the fix. Our San Jose soft story screening and retrofit design service covers each step with one responsible PE, and our Bay Area seismic retrofit engineering page covers the broader range of retrofit work.