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Long Beach Soft-Story Retrofit Services

What do I need to do?

Socal Structural Engineering provides complete engineering support throughout all phases of the retrofit process:

Soft-Story Screening

  • Complete the Screening (Form 062)
  • A licensed engineer inspects your building and submits Form 062 to the City.

If needed → Prepare Retrofit Plans

  • If your building is not exempt, a full retrofit engineering plan set must be submitted.

Retrofit Construction

  • Contractor pulls the permit, performs the work, and the project receives final approval
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Quick Summary for Property Owners

Does my building need soft story retrofit?
You must comply if your building is:

  • Wood-framed
  • Built before 1978
  • Two stories or more
  • Has tuck-under parking or open areas at the ground level
  • Identified by the City as a potential Soft, Weak, or Open-Front (SWOF) building
If you received a Notice to Comply, you are officially part of the program.
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How long do I have?

You have 360 days from the date on your City Notice Letter to submit Form 062.

How Socal helps:

We handle everything:

  • Engineering inspection
  • Form 062
  • Form 063 (exemption, if applicable)
  • Retrofit engineering plans
  • City submittals & corrections
  • Structural observation during construction
  • Final sign-off support
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Learn More About The Process

Long Beach is developing a Building Seismic Resiliency Program to reduce the risk of older wood-frame buildings collapsing during earthquakes. According to City documents, thousands of residential units are in buildings built before 1978 that may have Soft, Weak, or Open-Front (SWOF) wall lines.

Buildings that must comply include:

  • Wood-frame buildings
  • Built before January 1, 1978
  • Two or more stories
  • Contain tuck-under parking or large ground-floor openings
  • One or more floors located above an open floor line

These buildings are vulnerable because the lowest level lacks the lateral strength needed to resist earthquake forces.

Your Notice to Comply = Your Deadline Clock

The deadlines do not start when the ordinance began. They start from the exact date printed on your building’s Initial Notification Letter

This is the first mandatory step. You must:
  • Hire a licensed engineer
  • Have the building evaluated
  • Submit Form 062 within 360 days of the notice date
  • This form is used to confirm:
  • Whether your building is truly a SWOF
  • Whether previous strengthening already eliminated the condition
  • Whether inventory details need correction

If your building is exempt:

The engineer will submit Form 063 and the building is removed from the list.

If retrofit is required:

You proceed to full engineering plans

Property owners must follow the required timeline once an Order to Comply is issued.

Step 1: Hire a licensed civil or structural engineer to prepare the retrofit plans.

Step 2: Submit retrofit plans or acceptable documentation within 2 years.

Step 3: Obtain a building permit no later than 3.5 years from the date on the Order to Comply.

Step 4: Complete retrofit construction within 7 years.

LADBS performs plan review and inspections throughout the process.

Owners must comply with all THP requirements administered by LAHD (Los Angeles Housing Department). This plan may include temporary relocation requirements, sequencing of work, and access to occupied units. Owners must comply with all THP processes outlined by the City.

LADBS follows a structured review procedure for soft-story retrofit projects. Submittals must include:
  • Structural calculations and retrofit drawings
  • Wall-line strengthening details
  • Foundation and anchorage details
  • Diaphragm and collector upgrades

Certain retrofit systems require formal structural observation by the design professional.
Observations typically occur at critical stages such as:

  • Foundation preparation and anchorage
  • Moment frame placement
  • Shear wall installation
  • Collector and diaphragm connections
The structural observation forms must be completed and submitted per LADBS requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

I received a letter from the City. What does it mean?
The City’s letter means your building was identified as a potential Soft, Weak, or Open-Front (SWOF) building. In simple terms, the City believes your building may be vulnerable in an earthquake and is asking you to confirm the information and, if needed, consider strengthening.

Not necessarily. It means your building may be more vulnerable to earthquake damage compared to newer buildings or those that have already been strengthened. The screening step is meant to understand your actual condition and confirm the City’s inventory.

Yes. SWOF buildings are what most people call soft-story buildings; usually older wood-frame apartments with tuck-under parking or big openings at the ground floor and units above.
If you received a Notice / Initial Notification Letter from the City about SWOF or soft-story conditions, your property is in the inventory and you are expected to respond using the City’s forms.

Form 062 is the Soft-Story Screening Form. A property owner (and in many cases an engineer) uses it to:

  • Confirm the City’s information
  • Indicate if previous strengthening has already been done
  • Help the City finalize its list of soft-story buildings

It’s the City’s way of cleaning and confirming the SWOF inventory.

Form 063 is the Request for Removal Form. It is prepared and signed by a licensed design professional if:

  • The building has already been properly strengthened, or
  • The building does not actually meet the definition of a SWOF building

If accepted, your building is removed from the SWOF inventory.

The City is currently in the inventory and outreach phase and is updating its program for SWOF buildings. Responding to the City and screening your building is part of that process. Seismic strengthening is strongly encouraged and may become more formalized or mandatory in the future as the program develops.

It depends on your starting point: Screening only (Form 062): Typically days to a few weeks after site visit Full retrofit design: Usually a few weeks, depending on building size and complexity Construction: Varies by contractor and scope; often measured in weeks, not days We can give you a more specific timeline after we review your building and your City letter.

1. Socal Engineering:

  • Evaluates your building
  • Completes Form 062 and, if applicable, Form 063
  • Prepares seismic retrofit plans and calculations
  • Responds to City plan-check comments
  • Provides structural observations during construction

2. Contractor:

  • Performs the actual construction work
  • Pulls the building permit
  • Coordinates with our office and City inspectors during construction

Yes. You can send us a copy of your Notice / Initial Notification Letter, and we’ll:

  • Explain what the City is asking for
  • Confirm which forms you need
  • Outline the recommended next steps and a proposed scope of work