City of Pasadena Soft-Story Retrofit Program
Pasadena Compliance Deadlines
Time Period Timeline
Under Ordinance 7345, deadlines are based on the date of the City’s Notice to Owner.
1 Year From Notice
Screening Form (optional, for exemption only)
3.5 years
Obtain building permit
7 Years
Complete construction
COVID Extension
Professional Engineering, Screening Reports, Retrofit Plans & Permit Support
The City of Pasadena adopted Ordinance No. 7345 to strengthen existing multi-family wood-frame buildings with Soft, Weak, or Open-Front Wall Lines (SWOF). These structures historically performed poorly during past earthquakes such as the 1989 La Prieta and 1994 Northridge events.
Pasadena identified approximately 493 wood soft-story buildings requiring evaluation or retrofit.
Is Your Building Required to Comply?
A building is subject to the ordinance if:
- It is 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 SWOFwall lines
Exceptions:
- Single-family residences
- Multi-family parcels containing four or fewer units
- Upper wood-frame stories above a concrete podium level with a rigid diaphragm (only the first wood-frame story above the podium is subject to the ordinance)
Priority Groups and Notices
Pasadena assigns each property to a priority group:
Parcels containing buildings with 3+ stories, or 25+ dwelling units, or designated historic buildings
Parcels containing 10 to 24 units total
All non-historic, 2-story buildings with 5 to 9 units total
- Priority 1 – December 5, 2019
- Priority 2 – December 2, 2020
- Priority 3 – March 3, 2021
Learn About the Program
Pasadena’s ordinance strengthens older multi-family buildings to ensure they meet minimum seismic safety levels. The ordinance applies to buildings with ground-floor parking or openings that create SWOF conditions. Buildings with prior retrofits must still demonstrate compliance based on current standards.
The Screening Form is optional and used only if the owner believes the building is exempt from the ordinance.
Requirements:
- Must be completed by a licensed civil or structural engineer
- Must show the structure conforms to seismic design provisions of Chapter 14.08
- If the screening form is accepted, retrofit is not required
- If not submitted within the deadline, retrofit is automatically required
Owners must hire a licensed engineer to:
- Perform a full structural analysis
- Determine existing SWOF deficiencies
- Design a code-compliant retrofit per Pasadena Seismic Design Guidelines
- Provide calculations, construction details, load path continuity, diaphragm analysis, and drift checks
- Address hillside conditions, pole structure requirements, and irregularities
- Engineer prepares retrofit plans
- Plans submitted to Pasadena Permit Center
- Plan check corrections addressed
- Building permit issued
- Construction begins
- City inspections during construction
- Final inspection completed before the 7-year deadline
- It does not meet the applicability criteria
- The engineer shows the structure meets seismic requirements without retrofit
- The building is a 4-unit property or fewer
All exemption claims must be supported by the Screening Form.
Pasadena enforces the ordinance by priority group:
- Priority 1 first
- Priority 2 next
- Priority 3 last
Retrofit sequencing aligns with these priority designations.
Screening and Evaluation
- Full soft-story assessment
- Identification of SWOF conditions
- Screening Form completion for exemptions
Retrofit Design
- Complete structural calculations
- Wall-line strengthening systems
- Diaphragm and collector design
- Foundation upgrades
- Full plan set ready for City submittal
Permit Coordination
- Plan check responses
- City communication
- Structural observation forms
Construction Support
- Site visits during key phases
- RFI responses
- Final approval assistance
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Only pre-1976 multi-family wood-frame buildings with SWOF conditions.
No. It is optional and used only to request an exemption.
Yes, if the engineer demonstrates compliance with seismic standards.
Only licensed civil or structural engineers in California.
Within 7 years of the Notice to Owner.
Yes. The City may grant extensions of up to 6 months for documented hardship.
Yes. The 3-year deadline for plan submittal was extended to 4 years