Soft Story Retrofit in Pasadena, CA
Retrofit contractor for Pasadena's mandatory program under Ordinance 7345. CSLB License #1141734.
Pasadena's soft story program has reached its endgame. The city noticed its largest and historic buildings in December 2019 and gave owners seven years to finish construction, which puts the first completion deadline in December 2026. The second group follows in December 2027 and the third in March 2028. Roughly 493 woodframe buildings are in the program, and for the first group, the remaining runway is measured in weeks, not years.
Which Pasadena Buildings Are Covered
Ordinance 7345 reaches wood-frame buildings with a permit application on or before November 12, 1976, where ground-floor or basement parking creates soft, weak, or open-front wall lines. Single-family homes and parcels with four or fewer units are exempt, and buildings on a rigid concrete podium are judged by the wood stories above it. The city noticed owners in three waves: three-plus stories, 25-plus units, and qualified historic buildings first; then 10 to 24 units; then two-story buildings of 5 to 9 units.
The Pasadena Clock, From Your Notice Date
- 1 year: optional screening form to claim an exemption, reviewed at no fee
- 4 years: submit retrofit plans and obtain the building permit (extended from 3 by the city's COVID resolution)
- 7 years: complete construction
For Priority 1 buildings noticed December 5, 2019, those seven years end December 2026. An owner in that
group without an active construction project needs one immediately; an owner in the later groups has the rare
luxury of scheduling the same work without a deadline breathing on it.
Pasadena Soft Story FAQs
Get the project moving and visible: plans in, permit pulled, construction scheduled. A building with an active permitted project stands in a very different place with the city than a building with nothing on file. We compress the front end where it can be compressed.
Likely yes, in the third priority group, with completion due March 2028. Parcels with four or fewer units are out. We confirm your group and deadline from the city’s records during the free assessment.
No. Pasadena put qualified historic buildings in its first priority group. The retrofit is engineered to respect the structure; historic status changes the design care, not the obligation.
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.