Chapter 18 — SOILS AND FOUNDATIONS
Section 1809A
California Building Code (Title 24, Part 2) · 2019 edition · updated 2026-09-12 · California
Italicized text is a California amendment to the model code, as printed in the official publication.
SHALLOW FOUNDATIONS
1809 A .1 General. Shallow foundations shall be designed and constructed in accordance with Sections 1809 A .2 through 1809 A .13.
1809 A .2 Supporting soils. Shallow foundations shall be built on undisturbed soil, compacted fill material or controlled low-strength material (CLSM). Compacted fill material shall be placed in accordance with Section 1804 A .5. CLSM shall be placed in accordance with Section 1804 A .6.
1809 A .3 Stepped footings. The top surface of footings shall be level. The bottom surface of footings shall be permitted to have a slope not exceeding one unit vertical in 10 units horizontal (10-percent slope). Footings shall be stepped where it is necessary to change the elevation of the top surface of the footing or where the surface of the ground slopes more than one unit vertical in 10 units horizontal (10-percent slope).
Individual steps in continuous footings shall not exceed 18 inches (457 mm) in height and the slope of a series of such steps shall not exceed 1 unit vertical to 2 units horizontal (50 percent slope) unless otherwise recommended by a geotech- nical report. The steps shall be detailed on the drawings. The local effects due to the discontinuity of the steps shall be con- sidered in the design of the foundation.
1809 A .4 Depth and width of footings. The minimum depth of footings below the undisturbed ground surface shall be 12 inches (305 mm). Where applicable, the requirements of Section 1809 A .5 shall be satisfied. The minimum width of footings shall be 12 inches (305 mm).
1809 A .5 Frost protection. Except where otherwise protected from frost, foundations and other permanent supports of buildings and structures shall be protected from frost by one or more of the following methods:
Extending below the frost line of the locality.
Constructing in accordance with ASCE 32.
Erecting on solid rock.
Exception: Free-standing buildings meeting all of the following conditions shall not be required to be protected:
Assigned to Risk Category I.
Area of 600 square feet (56 m 2 ) or less for lightframe construction or 400 square feet (37 m 2 ) or less for other than light-frame construction.
Eave height of 10 feet (3048 mm) or less.
Shallow foundations shall not bear on frozen soil unless such frozen condition is of a permanent character.
1809 A .6 Location of footings. Footings on granular soil shall be so located that the line drawn between the lower edges of adjoining footings shall not have a slope steeper than 30 degrees (0.52 rad) with the horizontal, unless the material supporting the higher footing is braced or retained or otherwise laterally supported in an approved manner or a greater slope has been properly established by engineering analysis.
1809 A .7 Prescriptive footings for light-frame construction. Not permitted by DSA-SS, DSA-SS/CC or OSHPD.
1809 A .8 Plain concrete footings. Not permitted by DSA-SS, DSA-SS/CC or OSHPD.
1809 A .9 Masonry-unit footings. Not permitted by DSA-SS, DSA-SS/CC or OSHPD.
1809 A .10 Pier and curtain wall foundations. Reserved.
1809 A .11 Steel grillage footings. Grillage footings of structural steel elements shall be separated with approved steel spacers and be entirely encased in concrete with not less than 6 inches (152 mm) on the bottom and not less than 4 inches (102 mm) at all other points. The spaces between the shapes shall be completely filled with concrete or cement grout.
1809 A .12 Timber footings. Not permitted by DSA-SS, DSA- SS/CC or OSHPD.
1809 A .13 Footing seismic ties. Where a structure is assigned to Seismic Design Category D, E or F, individual spread footings founded on soil defined in Chapter 20 of ASCE 7 as Site Class E or F shall be interconnected by ties. Unless it is demonstrated that equivalent restraint is provided by reinforced concrete beams within slabs on grade or reinforced concrete slabs on grade, ties shall be capable of carrying, in tension or compression, a force equal to the lesser of the product of the larger footing design gravity load times the seismic coefficient, SDS, divided by 10 and 25 percent of the smaller footing design gravity load.
1809A.14 Pipes and trenches.¶
Unless otherwise recom- mended by the soils report, open or backfilled trenches paral- lel with a footing shall not be below a plane having a downward slope of 1 unit vertical to 2 units horizontal (50 percent slope) from a line 9 inches (229 mm) above the bot- tom edge of the footing, and not closer than 18 inches (457 mm) from the face of such footing.
Where pipes cross under footings, the footings shall be specially designed. Pipe sleeves shall be provided where pipes cross through footings or footing walls and sleeve clearances shall provide for possible footing settlement, but not less than 1 inch (25 mm) all around pipe.
Exception: Alternate trench locations and pipe clearances shall be permitted when approved by registered design professional in responsible charge and the enforcement agent.
1809A.15 Grade beams. [DSA-SS, DSA-SS/CC]¶
For struc- tures assigned to Seismic Design Category D, E or F, grade beams in shallow foundations shall comply with Section 1810A.3.12.
192 2019 CALIFORNIA BUILDING CODE
Copyright © 2019 ICC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Accessed by Kevin Day (kevin.day@dgs.ca.gov), (California Building Standards Commission) Order Number #100735044 on Jul 24, 2019 03:54 PM (PDT) pursuant to License Agreement with ICC. No further reproduction or distribution authorized. Single user only, copying and networking prohibited. ANY UNAUTHORIZED REPRODUCTION OR DISTRIBUTION IS A VIOLATION OF THE FEDERAL COPYRIGHT ACT AND THE LICENSE AGREEMENT, AND SUBJECT TO CIVIL AND CRIMINAL PENALTIES THEREUNDER.
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Ask AI about this code▸Contents — California Building Code (Title 24, Part 2)
- Chapter 2 — DEFINITIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS
- Appendix G — FLOOD-RESISTANT
- Appendix L — EARTHQUAKE RECORDING
- Appendix M — TSUNAMI-GENERATED
- Chapter 1 — SCOPE AND ADMINISTRATION
- Chapter 3 — OCCUPANCY CLASSIFICATION AND USE
- Chapter 4 — SPECIAL DETAILED REQUIREMENTS BASED
- Chapter 5 — GENERAL BUILDING HEIGHTS AND AREAS
- Chapter 6 — TYPES OF CONSTRUCTION
- Chapter 7 — FIRE AND SMOKE PROTECTION FEATURES
- Chapter 7A — MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION
- Chapter 8 — INTERIOR FINISHES
- Chapter 9 — FIRE PROTECTION AND LIFE SAFETY SYSTEMS
- Chapter 10 — MEANS OF EGRESS
- Chapter 11A — HOUSING ACCESSIBILITY
- Chapter 11B — ACCESSIBILITY TO PUBLIC BUILDINGS, PUBLIC ACCOMM…
- Chapter 12 — INTERIOR ENVIRONMENT
- Chapter 14 — EXTERIOR WALLS
- Chapter 15 — ROOF ASSEMBLIES AND ROOFTOP STRUCTURES
- Chapter 16 — STRUCTURAL DESIGN
- Chapter 16A — STRUCTURAL DESIGN
- Chapter 17 — SPECIAL INSPECTIONS AND TESTS
▸Chapter 18 — SOILS AND FOUNDATIONS
Overview- Section 1801
- Section 1802
- Section 1803
- Section 1804
- Section 1805
- Section 1806
- Section 1807
- Section 1808
- Section 1809
- Section 1810
- Section 1811
- Section 1812
- Section 1813
- Section 1803A
- Section 1801A
- Section 1802A
- Section 1804A
- Section 1805A
- Section 1806A
- Section 1807A
- Section 1808A
- Section 1809A
- Section 1810A
- Section 1811A
- Section 1812A
- Section 1813A
- Chapter 19 — CONCRETE
- Chapter 20 — ALUMINUM
- Chapter 21 — MASONRY
- Chapter 22 — STEEL
- Chapter 23 — WOOD
- Chapter 24 — GLASS AND GLAZING
- Chapter 25 — GYPSUM BOARD, GYPSUM PANEL PRODUCTS AND PLASTER
- Chapter 26 — PLASTIC
- Chapter 27 — ELECTRICAL
- Chapter 28 — MECHANICAL SYSTEMS
- Chapter 30 — ELEVATORS AND CONVEYING SYSTEMS
- Chapter 31 — SPECIAL CONSTRUCTION
- Chapter 31B — PUBLIC POOLS
- Chapter 31C — RADIATION
- Chapter 31D — FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS
- Chapter 31F — MARINE OIL TERMINALS
- Chapter 32 — ENCROACHMENTS INTO THE PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY
- Chapter 33 — SAFEGUARDS DURING CONSTRUCTION
- Chapter 35 — REFERENCED STANDARDS
- Appendix A — EMPLOYEE QUALIFICATIONS
- Appendix B — BOARD OF APPEALS
- Appendix C — GROUP U – AGRICULTURAL BUILDINGS
- Appendix D — FIRE DISTRICTS
- Appendix F — RODENTPROOFING
- Appendix H — SIGNS
- Appendix I — PATIO COVERS
- Appendix J — GRADING
- Appendix K — GROUP R-3 AND GROUP R-3.1 OCCUPANCIES
- Appendix N — REPLICABLE BUILDINGS
- Appendix O — EMERGENCY HOUSING