Pasadena is working its way through an inventory of roughly 493 older wood-frame multi-family buildings that exhibit Soft, Weak, or Open-Front (SWOF) wall conditions — the kind of structures that performed poorly in the 1989 Loma Prieta and 1994 Northridge earthquakes. If the City has sent you a Notice to Owner, your building is in the program and has a defined compliance timeline. SoCal Structural provides complete engineering support through every phase, from exemption screening through final inspection.
The Pasadena Ordinance at a Glance
Under Ordinance No. 7345, the City of Pasadena requires certain pre-1976 multi-family wood-frame buildings with SWOF conditions to be evaluated and, where necessary, seismically strengthened. The goal is to bring older buildings up to a minimum safety standard so the ground floor doesn’t fail under lateral seismic loads.
Pasadena’s program has two distinctive features worth knowing up front: the qualifying cutoff date is earlier than most LA-area ordinances (November 12, 1976), and the Screening Form is optional — it’s used only when an owner is claiming exemption.
Does Your Building Qualify?
A property is subject to the ordinance if all of the following apply:
- Wood-frame construction (or contains wood-frame portions)
- Built under permits applied for on or before November 12, 1976
- Contains ground-floor parking, garage doors, or open-air spaces that create SWOF wall lines
Exceptions:
- Single-family residences
- Multi-family parcels with four or fewer units
- Upper wood-frame stories above a concrete podium level with a rigid diaphragm (in this case, only the first wood-frame story above the podium is subject to the ordinance)
Priority Groups and Notice Dates
Pasadena assigned affected properties to one of three priority groups and issued Notices to Owner on a staggered schedule:
| Priority | Building Type | Notice Date |
|---|---|---|
| Priority 1 | 3+ stories, or 25+ dwelling units, or designated historic buildings | December 5, 2019 |
| Priority 2 | 10 to 24 units total | December 2, 2020 |
| Priority 3 | Non-historic, 2-story buildings with 5 to 9 units total | March 3, 2021 |
The City enforces the ordinance by priority group — Priority 1 first, Priority 2 next, Priority 3 last.
Compliance Deadlines
Deadlines run from the date on your Notice to Owner:
| Milestone | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Screening Form (optional — only for exemption claims) | 1 year from Notice |
| Submit retrofit plans and obtain building permit | 3.5 years from Notice (extended to 4 years under COVID relief) |
| Complete construction | 7 years from Notice |
Pasadena also allows extensions of up to 6 months when documented hardship is demonstrated.
The Compliance Process
Screening Form (optional). If an owner believes the building doesn’t actually meet the SWOF criteria — or that the structure already conforms to the seismic design provisions of Chapter 14.08 — a licensed Civil or Structural Engineer can prepare a Screening Form requesting exemption. If the form is accepted, retrofit isn’t required. If no Screening Form is submitted within the 1-year deadline, the City assumes retrofit is required and enforcement proceeds on that basis.
Retrofit Design. When retrofit is required, a licensed engineer performs a full structural analysis, identifies the SWOF deficiencies, and designs a compliant strengthening scheme per Pasadena’s Seismic Design Guidelines. That includes structural calculations, lateral load-path continuity, diaphragm analysis, drift checks, and detailing for hillside conditions, pole structures, and irregularities where applicable.
Plan Check and Permit. The engineer prepares the retrofit plan set, submits it to the Pasadena Permit Center, addresses plan check corrections, and once approved, the contractor pulls the building permit and begins construction.
Construction and Final Inspection. The City inspects each structural component during construction, and final inspection must be complete within the 7-year deadline.
Exemptions
A building may qualify for exemption if it doesn’t meet the applicability criteria, if the engineer demonstrates the structure already meets current seismic requirements without retrofit, or if it’s a parcel with four or fewer units. All exemption claims must be documented through the Screening Form.
How SoCal Structural Supports Your Project
Screening and Evaluation. Full soft-story assessment of the building, identification of SWOF conditions, and preparation of the Screening Form for exemption claims.
Retrofit Design. Complete structural calculations, wall-line strengthening systems, diaphragm and collector design, foundation upgrades, and a full plan set ready for submittal to the Pasadena Permit Center.
Permit Coordination. Plan-check response letters, direct communication with the City, and structural observation forms.
Construction Support. On-site observation at key phases, RFI responses for the contractor, and final inspection assistance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Pasadena require every older building to retrofit? No. Only pre-1976 multi-family wood-frame buildings with SWOF conditions are covered, and parcels with four or fewer units are exempt.
Is the Screening Form mandatory? No. Unlike most cities, Pasadena’s Screening Form is optional — it’s used only when an owner wants to claim exemption. If you don’t submit one within 1 year of your Notice, the City assumes retrofit is required.
Can my building be exempt? Possibly. If the engineer can demonstrate that the structure already meets current seismic requirements, or that it doesn’t meet the SWOF criteria, the building may qualify. The exemption must be documented through the Screening Form.
Who’s allowed to prepare the plans and forms? Only California-licensed Civil or Structural Engineers.
When does construction have to be finished? Within 7 years of your Notice to Owner.
Does Pasadena allow deadline extensions? Yes, up to 6 months, with documented hardship.
Were deadlines affected by COVID? Yes. The original 3-year deadline for plan submittal and permit was extended to 4 years. Other deadlines were not changed.
Get Started
Whether you’ve received a Notice to Owner or want to get ahead of the program, SoCal Structural handles the full engineering scope — screening, retrofit design, permit coordination, and construction support. Reach out for a free consultation and we’ll tell you exactly where your building stands.