Building codes & construction
5-over-1
Five wood-framed residential stories over a one-level concrete podium — the § 510.2 plus Type III-A recipe behind most new California mid-rise apartments.
Definition
A "5-over-1" is five wood-framed residential stories over a one-level concrete podium — the building form that the § 510.2 separate-building allowance plus Type III-A framing makes possible under the California Building Code. Type III-A (noncombustible or fire-retardant-treated exterior walls) allows five sprinklered R-2 stories where Type V-A stops at four, and the Type I-A podium below absorbs parking, retail and amenity space. Variants include the 5-over-2 (two podium levels) and the 4-over-1 framed entirely in Type V.
Why it matters in an underwrite
The 5-over-1 is the workhorse of new California mid-rise because it maximizes what wood framing can legally deliver: six levels of building at wood-frame cost above a single concrete pour. Pricing one means pricing its specific pinch points — full NFPA 13 sprinklers, fire-retardant-treated exterior wall framing for the Type III-A rating, the three-hour podium deck, and parking economics that hinge on how many stalls fit within the podium footprint.
Sources & related guides
See also
See the term in the law itself
Read the controlling text in the Code Library, or ask the AI how it applies to your project.
Last reviewed 2026-07-29. General information, not legal advice.