Soft Story Retrofit Deadline Santa Monica 2026: Requirements, Cost & Timeline

# Soft Story Retrofit Deadline in Santa Monica: 2026 Compliance Guide

The soft story retrofit deadline in Santa Monica represents one of the most aggressive mandatory seismic upgrade programs in Southern California. Building owners must understand their obligations, timelines, and engineering requirements to avoid penalties and protect tenants. This 2026 compliance guide covers every aspect of Santa Monica's soft story retrofit program.

A soft story building has a ground floor that is significantly weaker or more flexible than the floors above it. In Santa Monica, this condition commonly appears in multi-unit apartment buildings constructed before 1978 where the ground floor features:

Santa Monica's building inventory contains hundreds of these vulnerable structures. The 1994 Northridge Earthquake demonstrated the catastrophic failure mode: upper floors pancake onto the weak ground floor, causing total building collapse and loss of life.

Santa Monica enacted its Mandatory Seismic Retrofit Ordinance to address the inventory of vulnerable soft story buildings throughout the city. The program established a phased compliance schedule based on building characteristics.

**Priority Buildings (16+ Units)** Larger apartment buildings in Santa Monica with 16 or more dwelling units faced the earliest compliance deadlines. These buildings house the most residents and present the greatest life-safety risk during a major earthquake.

**Standard Buildings (3-15 Units)** Mid-size multi-family buildings in Santa Monica with 3 to 15 units follow the standard compliance timeline. This category represents the largest number of affected buildings in the Santa Monica retrofit program.

**All Remaining Buildings** Any remaining soft story structures in Santa Monica that did not fall into earlier priority categories must comply under the final phase of the program.

As of February 2026, Santa Monica has completed notification of all affected building owners. Property owners who have not yet begun the retrofit process face increasing enforcement pressure. The City of Santa Monica Building and Safety Division actively monitors compliance and issues violation notices for non-compliant properties.

Building owners in Santa Monica who have received a Notice of Non-Compliance must submit retrofit plans within the specified timeframe or face daily fines. The city does not grant extensions without documented engineering justification and an approved timeline.

Santa Monica requires soft story retrofits to meet the standards established in ASCE 41-17 (Seismic Evaluation and Retrofit of Existing Buildings) as adopted by the California Existing Building Code. Key requirements include:

**Performance Objective** — Buildings must achieve the Basic Performance Objective for Existing Buildings (BPOE), which targets Life Safety performance under the BSE-1E seismic hazard level.

**Analysis Method** — Engineers use linear or nonlinear analysis methods depending on building characteristics. Most Santa Monica soft story retrofits use the linear static procedure for Type 1 buildings (wood-frame construction with tuck-under parking).

**Foundation Evaluation** — Existing foundations must be evaluated for the increased loads introduced by the retrofit. Santa Monica requires foundation engineering analysis to confirm adequate capacity or design foundation strengthening.

A soft story retrofit in Santa Monica typically involves:

Santa Monica Building and Safety requires the following for soft story retrofit plan submission:

Plan check review in Santa Monica typically takes 4 to 8 weeks for soft story retrofit projects. Incomplete submissions or submissions requiring significant corrections extend this timeline.

Structural engineering for a soft story retrofit in Santa Monica costs $3,500 to $8,000 depending on building size and complexity. This fee includes:

AAA Engineering & Design provides competitive engineering fees for Santa Monica soft story retrofits with transparent pricing and no hidden costs.

Soft story retrofit construction in Santa Monica ranges from $60,000 to $200,000+ depending on:

| Building Size | Typical Construction Cost | Cost Per Unit | |---------------|--------------------------|---------------| | 3–8 units | $60,000–$100,000 | $8,000–$15,000 | | 9–15 units | $80,000–$150,000 | $7,000–$12,000 | | 16+ units | $120,000–$200,000+ | $6,000–$10,000 |

Per-unit costs decrease for larger buildings because fixed costs (mobilization, steel fabrication, foundation work) spread across more units. Santa Monica contractors experienced with soft story retrofits complete most projects in 8 to 16 weeks.

Santa Monica's rent control ordinance includes provisions for retrofit cost recovery through capital improvement rent increases. Building owners can petition the Santa Monica Rent Control Board for:

The Rent Control Board reviews each petition individually. Documentation of engineering costs, construction costs, and permits strengthens the application. Building owners should consult with their property management attorney regarding the current cost recovery provisions available in Santa Monica.

Santa Monica enforces soft story retrofit compliance through escalating penalties:

Beyond financial penalties, non-compliant soft story buildings in Santa Monica face:

The engineering process for a Santa Monica soft story retrofit begins with a thorough evaluation of the existing building.

**Document Review** — The engineer reviews available building plans, soils reports, and previous engineering assessments. For older Santa Monica buildings, original plans may not exist, requiring more extensive field investigation.

**Structural Inspection** — A thorough inspection identifies existing deficiencies beyond the soft story condition, including deteriorated framing, inadequate connections, and foundation problems that must be addressed during the retrofit.

**Demand Analysis** — The engineer calculates seismic forces on the Santa Monica building using site-specific seismic hazard data, soil classification, and building dynamic characteristics.

**Capacity Evaluation** — Existing structural elements are evaluated against seismic demands. The analysis identifies specific deficiencies: inadequate shear capacity, insufficient overturning resistance, weak diaphragm connections, and foundation shortcomings.

**Retrofit Design** — The engineer designs new structural elements to address identified deficiencies. For Santa Monica soft story buildings, this typically means steel moment frames at parking openings, supplemental shear walls, and foundation upgrades.

**Cost Optimization** — An experienced structural engineer minimizes retrofit construction cost while meeting all code requirements. Frame locations, sizes, and connection details directly affect construction cost. AAA Engineering & Design optimizes every Santa Monica soft story retrofit design for cost-effectiveness.

**Plan Submission** — Complete plans with stamped calculations are submitted to Santa Monica for review. Your structural engineer coordinates with the plan checker to resolve any comments efficiently.

**Permit Issuance** — Once Santa Monica Building and Safety approves the plans, a building permit is issued. Construction can begin immediately upon permit issuance.

**Pre-Construction Meeting** — The structural engineer reviews retrofit plans with the contractor to clarify construction sequence, critical connections, and quality requirements for the Santa Monica project.

**Special Inspections** — Santa Monica requires special inspections for structural steel welding, high-strength bolting, and concrete placement. The structural engineer specifies inspection requirements and reviews inspection reports.

Building owners in Santa Monica need to maintain parking functionality during and after the retrofit. Steel moment frames are designed to span parking stall openings without reducing the number of available spaces. Frame column locations must coordinate with parking layout geometry.

Santa Monica's strong tenant protections require careful coordination during retrofit construction. Building owners must provide adequate notice to tenants, maintain habitable conditions during construction, and minimize disruption. Construction typically occurs at ground level, but noise, dust, and access restrictions affect upper-floor tenants.

Ground-floor utilities — gas lines, water mains, electrical panels, and sewer laterals — often conflict with new foundation elements and steel columns. The retrofit engineer coordinates with utility providers to relocate conflicting services in Santa Monica properties.

Santa Monica has numerous historic properties subject to the soft story retrofit requirement. Historic buildings require retrofit designs that preserve character-defining features while achieving seismic performance objectives. The Santa Monica Landmarks Commission reviews retrofit plans for designated historic structures.

**Licensed Professional Engineers** — Every Santa Monica soft story retrofit project is designed and stamped by California-licensed Professional Engineers with specific expertise in seismic retrofitting.

**20+ Years of Experience** — Our team has designed soft story retrofits throughout Southern California, including numerous projects in Santa Monica and surrounding Westside communities.

**Cost-Effective Designs** — We optimize retrofit designs to minimize construction cost while exceeding code requirements. Our Santa Monica clients consistently report lower construction bids compared to projects designed by competitors.

**Fast Turnaround** — We understand the urgency of Santa Monica's soft story retrofit deadlines. Our typical turnaround for retrofit engineering plans is 14 to 21 business days.

**Full-Service Support** — From initial evaluation through construction completion, AAA Engineering & Design supports your Santa Monica soft story retrofit project at every stage.

Every day of non-compliance with Santa Monica's soft story retrofit requirements costs building owners money in potential fines and increases earthquake risk for tenants. The engineering and permitting process takes 2 to 4 months, and construction adds another 2 to 4 months. Starting now ensures compliance before penalties escalate.

**Call AAA Engineering & Design at (949) 981-4448** for a free evaluation of your Santa Monica soft story building. We provide a detailed scope of work, transparent pricing, and a timeline for achieving full compliance with Santa Monica's seismic retrofit requirements.

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*Updated February 22, 2026. Santa Monica soft story retrofit requirements and deadlines are subject to change by city ordinance. Contact AAA Engineering & Design at (949) 981-4448 for current compliance information and engineering services.*

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