Soft-Story Seismic Retrofit – City of Torrance
Overview
The City of Torrance adopted Seismic Retrofit Ordinance No. 3916 (approved March 14, 2023), initiating a mandatory program to strengthen older, potentially vulnerable buildings. The ordinance addresses multiple at-risk building types, including wood soft-story structures.
Program Status
- Ordinance adopted
- Applicability determined
- Implementation & Notice to Owners: Pending
- Compliance deadlines: Not released yet
Medro will update the deadlines as soon as the City publishes official schedules.
What Types of Buildings Are Affected?
Existing Wood-Frame Soft, Weak, or Open-Front Wall Buildings
- Multi-story wood buildings where the ground floor is significantly more flexible than upper floors
- Typically caused by:
- Large open parking areas
- Lack of shear walls
- Open-front commercial bays
- Common in pre-1980s construction
- Highly vulnerable to collapse during strong shaking
City of Torrance – Program Milestones
The City has NOT yet released compliance deadlines or Notice-to-Owner mailings.
Only the ordinance is finalized. All milestones will be updated once the City activates the program.
- No screening forms are required
- No engineering analysis deadlines
- No retrofit submission deadlines
- No construction deadlines
We will update this page as soon as official notices are made public
What Medro Engineering Provides in Torrance
- Structural evaluation
- Identification of soft/weak/open-front lines
- Determination of retrofit needs
- Pre-Notice voluntary screening
- Lateral analysis & calculations
- Soft-story strengthening design
- Foundation/collector/diaphragm upgrades
- Cantilever column systems
- Full construction details
Once the City activates the permit workflow:
- Plan check responses
- Structural observation
- Final inspection coordination
- Notice templates
- Construction scheduling coordination
Learn More About the Torrance Retrofit Program
Torrance is located in a high-seismic region near major faults. Older buildings constructed under outdated codes pose life-safety risks. City engineers have identified hundreds of potentially vulnerable buildings, making a retrofit ordinance necessary to reduce collapse risk.
Soft-story wood buildings often fail at the ground level due to:
- Open parking (tuck-under)
- Large storefront openings
- Lack of braced walls
This creates a “weak” first story that may collapse and cause life-threatening failures.
After the City issues Notice-to-Owner letters:
- Owners will be assigned deadlines to submit engineering evaluations or plans.
- Buildings confirmed as vulnerable will require full seismic retrofit plans.
- Construction permits must be obtained and retrofit work completed by the deadlines specified in the notice.
Formal timelines are pending.
Earthquake Soft-Story (ESS) Grant
- Up to $13,000 toward soft-story retrofits for eligible homes
- All Torrance ZIP codes qualify
- Administered by the California Residential Mitigation Program (CRMP)
Frequently Asked Questions
Not yet. The City is still preparing implementation. No deadlines are active.
If it meets any of these:
- Wood-frame
- Multiple stories
- Open parking or commercial space at ground level
- Built prior to modern seismic codes
…then it is likely included under Ordinance No. 3916.
Yes. Retrofits only become mandatory after the City issues formal Notice-to-Owner letters.
Pending City implementation. Torrance has not yet published rules on pass-throughs or cost-sharing.
Owners may voluntarily begin:
- Engineering evaluations
- Preliminary structural assessments
- Soft-story retrofit design concepts
Medro can assist with early assessments so owners are ahead of future deadlines.