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Burbank Soft-Story Seismic Retrofit

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Burbank has joined a growing list of Southern California cities requiring owners of older wood-frame apartment buildings to seismically strengthen their properties. If your building has tuck-under parking, carports, or large ground-floor openings and was built before 1978, it likely falls under the City’s mandatory retrofit program. SoCal Structural provides complete engineering support, from the initial screening through final inspection, to get your property into compliance on time.

The Burbank Ordinance at a Glance

Under Ordinance 24-4,021, the City of Burbank requires owners of qualifying older wood-frame residential buildings to evaluate their properties for Soft, Weak, or Open-Front (SWOF) wall conditions and retrofit them as needed. The program targets the same structural vulnerability that has driven ordinances in Los Angeles, Santa Monica, and Beverly Hills: buildings with open ground-floor parking lack the wall bracing needed to resist earthquake forces at the most critical level.
Compliance is a multi-year process, and the clock has already started.

Does Your Building Qualify?

A property is subject to the ordinance if all of these apply:
  • Wood-frame construction
  • Two or more stories
  • Built before January 1, 1978
  • Has ground-floor parking, garages, or open-front wall lines
  • Exhibits one or more Soft, Weak, or Open-Front wall conditions
Single-family homes fall outside the ordinance.

Compliance Deadlines

Burbank’s program, measured from the January 10, 2025 Notice to Comply, sets the following deadlines:
Milestone Deadline
Submit Screening Form
January 12, 2026
Submit Engineered Retrofit Plans
January 11, 2027
Obtain Plan Approval
January 10, 2028
Obtain Permit & Begin Construction
January 10, 2029
Complete Construction
January 10, 2030
With the first deadline already here, property owners who haven’t started should move quickly, the screening form alone requires a site visit, structural review, and licensed engineer’s sign-off.

Financial Incentives

Burbank is encouraging early compliance with a tiered permit-fee refund:
  • 100% refund if the full retrofit is completed by July 10, 2026
  • 50% refund if completed by January 10, 2028
Owners may also recover up to 50% of construction costs from tenants through a temporary monthly surcharge, capped at $51 per unit per month for up to 120 months.

How SoCal Structural Supports Your Project

  • Screening Reports. A full structural assessment of the building, identification of SWOF wall lines, a clear “retrofit required” or “exempt” determination, engineering documentation for exemption requests, and guidance on the City’s required signage postings.
  • Retrofit Plan Sets. Complete engineered drawings that comply with Burbank’s Seismic Design Guidelines, covering lateral analysis and calculations; diaphragm, collector, and foundation upgrades; cantilever column systems; drift checks, base-shear calculations, and irregularity assessments; and all structural details and material specifications needed for plan check.
  • Permit Coordination. Plan check response letters, structural observation forms, and direct coordination with Burbank Building & Safety, plus guidance on housing and tenant-notification requirements.
  • Construction Support. Structural observation at key construction stages, RFI responses for the contractor, and help carrying the project through to final City approval.
  • Tenant and Signage Compliance. Once a Notice to Comply is issued, the City requires safety signage and construction notices to be posted and later removed only after final approval, we walk owners through what’s required and when.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does every older building in Burbank need a retrofit?
No. The ordinance applies only to pre-1978 wood-frame residential buildings with two or more stories and ground-floor openings such as parking, garages, or open-front wall lines.
What’s the first step?
Submitting the Screening Form by January 12, 2026. It has to be prepared by a California-licensed Civil or Structural Engineer.
Can my building be exempt?
Possibly. Exemptions require a stamped engineering assessment showing that no soft, weak, or open-front wall conditions exist.
What happens if I miss a deadline?
The City can record a violation and impose penalties. Extensions are considered only with valid justification and a proposed compliance schedule.
Are there financial incentives available?
Yes. Burbank offers a 100% permit-fee refund for compliance by July 10, 2026, and a 50% refund for compliance by January 10, 2028.
Can I pass retrofit costs through to tenants?
Yes, up to 50% of construction costs can be recovered as a temporary monthly surcharge, capped at $51 per unit per month for up to 120 months.
Who’s allowed to prepare the retrofit plans?
Only California-licensed Civil or Structural Engineers.
When does construction have to be finished?
No later than January 10, 2030.

Get Started

SoCal Structural handles Burbank soft-story retrofits end-to-end, screening, engineering, permitting, and construction support. Reach out for a free estimate and we’ll tell you exactly where your building stands under the ordinance.

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