Bay Area Soft Story Ordinances & Additional Documents

In 2025, Palo Alto began to update the city’s seismic program, including an exploration of soft-story retrofit options. A distinguishing feature of Palo Alto’s approach is the focus on a broad range of vulnerable building types, such as non-ductile concrete buildings and other known fragile buildings. The resources cover building types much broader than soft-story buildings.

• Seismic Hazard Program Website, includes past staff reports, advisory group materials, and other memos.
• Committee Staff Report, Interim Update (2026, 12 pages) Captures the city efforts to date, building analysis, and discussion of key program decisions.
• Memo: Local Seismic Retrofit Programs, California Case Studies (2025, 57 pages) Summarizes other local programs in the Bay Area and Southern California.
   

In 2024, San Leandro passed a voluntary soft story retrofit ordinance that established evaluation standards, housing inventory, and retrofit standards for the jurisdictions. The ordinance is an amendment to the San Leandro Municipal Code 7 for “Earthquake Retrofit Standards and Requirements for Soft-Story Residential Buildings” and mandates evaluation.

• San Leandro Soft Story Ordinance, includes the reasoning and amendments to the Municipal Code to address soft story seismic hazard

In 2024, San Jose adopted their retrofit ordinance, but has delayed the effective date of the ordinance keeping the ordinance voluntary until FEMA funding uncertainty is resolved. San Jose was unique in leveraging federal funding sources to support with the ordinance development and is also developing a unique online tracking portal to support implementation. 

• Soft Story Retrofit Ordinance & Program Page, includes a summary of the San Jose ordinance, background, and program benefits
• Soft Story Seismic Retrofit Ordinance, memo of the completed document presented to the council for approval
• San Jose “Soft Story” Mitigation Program, report detailing the background and policy recommendations, used to inform the policy making process for city staff
• Adopted Seismic Soft Sory Retrofit Ordinance, completed and adopted retrofit ordinance

The City of Albany adopted their Soft Story Retrofit Ordinance in 2023 after first discussing it in 2014. As a small jurisdiction, their ordinance was primarily developed between 2021 and 2023, with ample flexibility to accommodate resident concerns.

• Soft Story Retrofit Program Webpage, includes information on the development and implementation of the City’s soft story seismic retrofit ordinance.
• Soft Story Seismic Retrofit Program Screening Form, PDF of Albany’s Soft Story Screening Form.
• Soft Story Seismic Retrofit Screening Form Instructions, Includes information on the purpose and process of soft story screening.

The City of Mill Valley became the first North Bay jurisdiction to pass a mandatory soft-story retrofit ordinance. Mill Valley is unique in the short turnaround time between council interest in 2021 to adoption in 2023.

• Planning & Building Department Work Plan (FY2021/22), references “soft story regulations” as the fifth (H5) Housing Advisory Work Plan item with budget and timeframe constrains listed.
• Soft Story Study Presentation, presentation detailing the inventory process and scope.
• Staff Report Soft Story Seismic Ordinance, the staff report for the first reading of the ordinance.

After earlier efforts to inventory and screen soft story buildings, the City of Oakland adopted its ordinance in 2019, requiring retrofits for vulnerable buildings. The City of Oakland included rent pass through provisions that limit the amount of increase in rent for a building having undergone soft story retrofit.

• Adopted Soft Story Retrofit Ordinance (2019), Adopted mandatory seismic evaluation and retrofit of certain multi-unit residential buildings.
• Soft Story Retrofit Program Workshop Documents (2019), website containing informational presentations from the July 2019 workshop for the public on the Mandatory Soft Story Retrofit Program.

The City of Hayward adopted a mandatory soft story screening and voluntary retrofit ordinance in 2019. 

• Seismic Screening Form: Examples, example forms of completed seismic screening forms for various building types. 
• Seismic Soft Story Technical Bulletin, technical document detailing requirements, interpretation, and compliance criteria for voluntary seismic evaluation and retrofit.

In 2014, the City of Berkeley adapted its 2005 voluntary program into a mandatory retrofit ordinance. Since then, the city has been successfully awarded FEMA grants that have supported building owners with retrofits, including for other fragile building types. 

• Adopted Soft Story Retrofit Ordinance (2014), details the hazards and retrofit standards for soft, weak, or open front story buildings.
• Soft Story Building Inventory, June 2025 updated inventory of potentially hazardous soft, weak or open front buildings.
• City of Berkeley Soft Story Retrofit Funding Opportunities, webpage with potential funding opportunities for seismic retrofits.
• Seismic Retrofit Grants, webpage detailing grant eligibility and details.

In 2013, the City and County of San Francisco passed their Soft Story Retrofit Ordinance. Roughly 20 to 25 percent of Bay Area soft story buildings are in San Francisco. As of 2026, 4,700 vulnerable buildings had completed their retrofit.

• Adopted Soft Story Retrofit Ordinance (2013), amended and adopted mandatory seismic retrofit program ordinance.
• Concentration of Wood Frame, pre-1978, Three or More Story, Five or More Unit Buildings by Voting Precinct (Map), map of concentration of buildings impacted by the soft story retrofit ordinance (2013).
• Dashboard of Soft Story Retrofit Progress.

In 2009, the City of Alameda passed their soft story retrofit ordinance, requiring mandatory screenings but voluntary building retrofits. As of 2026, 146 identified soft story buildings in the city have been retrofit. 

• Adopted Soft Story Retrofit Ordinance (2009), adopted mandatory soft story retrofit ordinance.

The City of Fremont was the first Bay Area jurisdiction to pass a mandatory soft story retrofit ordinance. 

• Adopted Soft Story Retrofit Ordinance (2007), adopted mandatory soft story retrofit ordinance.

• Informational Memo on Santa Clara County Inventory (City of Mountain View, 2004) 
• The Apartment Owners Guide to Earthquake Safety (City of San Jose, 1998)
• Seismic Evaluation and Retrofit of Multi-Unit Wood-Frame Buildings with Weak First Stories (FEMA, 2012)
• AB 304 Legislation Enabling Cities and Counties to Address Soft-Story Buildings in their Communities (Hancock, 2005)