Alameda

The city of Alameda established a wood-frame soft-story program on March 18, 2009 under Ordinance 2989, Earthquake Hazard Reduction in Existing Wood Frame Residential Structures with Soft-Story, Weak, or Open Front Walls. Compliance with the 2009 ordinance is mandatory. The inventory of wood-frame soft-story structures in Alameda within the scope of this ordinance can be found here (updated October 2019).

Scope

Alameda’s mandatory wood-frame soft-story program applies to existing buildings that have the following characteristics:

• Wood-frame construction
• Permitted for construction prior to December 17, 1985
• Five or more dwelling units
• Ground floor containing parking or similar open floor or basement space causing soft, weak, or open lines where there exists one or more levels above.

Timeline

All buildings that have been determined to fall within the scope of this ordinance were issued a Notice and Order by the Building Official. Within 18 months of the issue of the Order, building owners were required to submit structural seismic adequacy analysis to determine potential hazards of the structure. Building owners were required to notify tenants of the building’s inclusion on the inventory of potentially hazardous wood-frame soft-story buildings within 18 months of service of the Order.