Soft Story Retrofit in Beverly Hills, CA
Retrofit contractor for the city's mandatory soft story program. CSLB License #1141734.
Beverly Hills ordered its soft story buildings strengthened under Ordinance 18-O-2767, effective January 2019. The city ran the program on a tight clock: notices went out in three tiers through 2019 and 2020, and the last tier's construction deadline passed in July 2023. Every covered building in the city is now either retrofitted or overdue. If yours is in the second group, the path back is straightforward, and it starts with plans, not with waiting for enforcement.
Which Buildings the Ordinance Covers
- Wood-frame buildings with a permit applied for before January 1, 1978, or determined by the city to be built under pre-1978 standards
- Ground floor or basement parking, or similar open space, creating a soft, weak, or open-front wall line with stories above
- Single-family structures excluded; certain single-unit detached buildings could request exemption
The city tiered the program by size: three-plus-story buildings first, then two-story buildings with six or more units, then everything else.
The Deadlines, and Where They Stand
Each tier had five milestones, from screening form to final inspection. The completion deadlines were June 30, 2022 for Tier I, January 5, 2023 for Tier II, and July 6, 2023 for Tier III. All have passed. An unretrofitted building now carries open non-compliance with the city plus the standing risks: enforcement, insurance and lending friction, and liability if the building fails.
Beverly Hills Soft Story FAQs
Silence is not compliance. The obligation sits on the property until the retrofit passes final inspection, and it surfaces at the worst times: a sale, a refinance, an insurance renewal, or an earthquake. Moving now, on your own schedule, beats moving later on the city’s.
The same sequence as on-time compliance, compressed: structural assessment, engineered plans to the city’s standards, permits, construction with tenants in place, and final inspection. Most tuck-under buildings take 4 to 8 weeks of construction once permits are in hand.
Only city-approved retrofit work counts. We review the permit history and tell you whether the prior work closes the requirement, needs supplementing, or was never on file.
Why Owners Choose CalPrime
- Licensed, bonded, and insured. CSLB License #1141734.
- One team from assessment through final city sign-off: engineering plans, permits, construction, and inspections.
- Tenants stay in place. We stage the work around parking areas and keep the building occupied.
- A line-item estimate from a free site walk before you commit to anything
Start With a Free Building Assessment
Send us your property address and we will check your building’s status with the city, walk the site, and give you a clear scope and estimate. No cost, no obligation.