Culver City Soft-Story Retrofit Services

Screening report – due 1 year after Notice to Comply

A licensed Civil or Structural Engineer performs a structural evaluation and prepares a Screening Report to determine whether:

• The building is exempt, or
• The building requires seismic retrofit

The screening typically includes:

• Review of the building’s configuration and wall lines
• Identification of SWOF conditions
• Preliminary assessment of load paths and diaphragms
• Review of foundations where accessible

If the building is documented as exempt, no retrofit is required under this ordinance.

Retrofit plans – due 2 years after Notice to Comply

If the screening indicates that retrofit is required, the owner must submit a complete retrofit plan set, which generally includes:

• Cover sheet and site plan
• Floor plans, elevations and sections
• SWOF identification and justification of wall lines
• Structural calculations and lateral analysis
• Foundation plan and details
• Diaphragm analysis and strengthening where needed
• Verification and detailing for diaphragm aspect ratios (for example, 3:1 limits or mitigation)
• Required Culver City SWOF notes
• Tenant Impact Mitigation Plan, where applicable
  
  

Obtain permit and start construction – due 3–4 years after Notice

After the City approves the retrofit plans:

• A licensed contractor pulls the building permit
• Construction must begin within one year of permit issuance, within the overall 3–4 year window from the Notice date

Complete construction – due 5 years after Notice

To satisfy the ordinance, the work must be completed and:

• All required inspections must be passed
• The City must sign off the permit as “Final”

Screening reports

Medro Engineering provides:

• Field evaluation of the building’s soft-story conditions
• Identification of soft, weak, or open-front wall lines
• Evaluation of diaphragms, foundations, and lateral load paths
• Engineering determination of “Retrofit required” or “Exempt”
• Preparation of the formal screening documentation for the City

Retrofit plan sets

Our retrofit plans are prepared to meet Culver City’s SWOF requirements and typical reviewer expectations, and may include:

• Elevations and wall-line justification
• Full lateral system analysis
• Diaphragm design and ratio verification, with strengthening where necessary
• Foundation strengthening and new footings as required
• Beam and column upgrades
• Steel or wood special moment frame design
• Cantilevered column design in accordance with AISC provisions
• Collector and drag strut design in accordance with ASCE 7-16
• Material specifications and construction notes
• A coordinated structural calculation package

Permit and plan-check support

We assist owners and contractors with the plan-check and permit process by:

• Responding to Building Safety and SWOF reviewer comments
• Providing revised drawings and calculations when needed
• Preparing structural observation commitments and forms
• Supporting Housing Division clearance documentation when triggered by the project

Construction support

During construction, Medro can provide:

• Structural observation in accordance with Culver City CBC amendments and plan requirements
• Review of contractor RFIs relating to the structural design
• Site visits at key stages of the work
• Final observation letters or reports to support permit close-out

Soft-story buildings are vulnerable to earthquake damage because the ground floor often has much less strength and stiffness than the levels above. Common issues include:

• Weak or open ground-floor walls due to parking or storefronts
• Large openings that reduce the length of effective shear walls
• Unreinforced or poorly detailed frames
• Irregular or discontinuous load paths
• Inadequate diaphragm support and chord detailing

These conditions can lead to excessive drift, localized failures, or collapse of the lower story during a strong earthquake. The Culver City ordinance is intended to reduce these risks, protect occupants, and preserve the city’s housing stock.

Culver City reviewers typically look for:

• Clear identification and justification of SWOF wall lines
• Required cover-sheet notes and general notes specific to the SWOF program
• Compliance with material strength limitations and detailing requirements
• Appropriate structural observation commitments
• Shear wall lengths, drift limits, and seismic force-resistance system R-values that match code and local requirements
• Proper collector and drag strut design and detailing
• Foundation upgrades in line with CBC Chapters 18 and 19 as adopted and amended
• Anchorage and stability provisions for hillside or sloping sites
• Demonstrated continuity of the seismic load path from roof to foundation

Tenant notification and Housing Division requirements

For occupied buildings, Culver City may require:

• Written notification to current and prospective tenants
• Tenant protections when conditions are temporarily untenantable
• A Tenant Impact Mitigation Plan (TIMP) outlining how construction will affect residents
• Housing Division clearance before certain permits or work proceed

Medro can assist with the engineering-related portions of these requirements and coordinate with property managers and ownership teams.

Capital improvement pass-through (optional for owners)

Culver City may allow owners to recover a portion of eligible retrofit costs through regulated rent increases, subject to:

• Timely application after project completion
• Documentation and verification of eligible costs
• Amortization limits
• Annual caps on rent increases

We can help document engineering and design-related expenses as part of an owner’s larger pass-through strategy.