Skip to content
ChatProjectCodes

Chapter 16A — STRUCTURAL DESIGN

Section 1607A

California Building Code (Title 24, Part 2) · 2022 edition · updated 2026-09-12 · California

Italicized text is a California amendment to the model code, as printed in the official publication.

LIVE LOADS

1607 A .1 General. Live loads are those loads defined in Chapter 2 and Section 1602A.1 of this code.

1607 A .2 Loads not specified. For occupancies or uses not designated in Section 1607 A, the live load shall be determined in accordance with a method approved by the building official.

1607 A .3 Uniform live loads. The live loads used in the design of buildings and other structures shall be the maximum loads expected by the intended use or occupancy but shall not be less than the minimum uniformly distributed live loads given in Table 1607 A .1.

1607 A .4 Concentrated live loads. Floors, roofs and other similar surfaces shall be designed to support the uniformly distributed live loads prescribed in Section 1607 A .3 or the concentrated live loads, given in Table 1607 A .1, whichever produces the greater load effects. Unless otherwise specified, the indicated concentration shall be assumed to be uniformly distributed over an area of 2 1 /2 feet by 2 1 /2 feet (762 mm by 762 mm) and shall be located so as to produce the maximum load effects in the structural members.

STRUCTURAL DESIGN

foundation overturning from Section 12.13.4 in ASCE 7 shall not be used. Where using these alternative basic load combinations for proportioning foundations for loadings, which include seismic loads, the vertical seismic load effect, Ev, in Equation 12.4-4 of ASCE 7 is permitted to be taken equal to zero. Where required by ASCE 7, Chapters 12, 13 and 15, the load combinations including overstrength of ASCE 7, Section 2.3.6 shall be used. Each load combination shall be investigated with one or more of the variable loads set to zero.

D + L + ( Lr or S or R ) (Equation 16 A - 1 )

D + L + 0.6 W (Equation 16 A - 2 )

D + L + 0.6 W + S /2 (Equation 16 A - 3 )

D + L + S + 0.6 W /2 (Equation 16 A - 4 )

D + L + S + E /1.4 (Equation 16 A - 5 )

0.9 D + E /1.4 (Equation 16 A - 6 )

Exceptions:

  1. Crane hook loads need not be combined with roof live loads or with more than three-fourths of the snow load or one-half of the wind load.

  2. Flat roof snow loads of 30 pounds per square foot (1.44 kN/m 2 ) or less and roof live loads of 30 pounds per square foot (1.44 kN/m 2 ) or less need not be combined with seismic loads. Where flat roof snow loads exceed 30 pounds per square foot (1.44 kN/m 2 ), 20 percent shall be combined with seismic loads.

Get a plain-English answer with a citation back to this text.

Ask AI about this code
Export this section
▸Contents — California Building Code (Title 24, Part 2)
California Building Code (Title 24, Part 2)
  1. Chapter 2 — DEFINITIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS
  2. Appendix G — FLOOD-RESISTANT
  3. Appendix L — EARTHQUAKE RECORDING
  4. Appendix M — TSUNAMI-GENERATED
  5. Appendix N — REPLICABLE
  6. Appendix O — PERFORMANCE-BASED
  7. Chapter 1 — SCOPE AND ADMINISTRATION
  8. Chapter 3 — OCCUPANCY CLASSIFICATION AND USE
  9. Chapter 4 — SPECIAL DETAILED REQUIREMENTS BASED ON OCCUPANCY A…
  10. Chapter 5 — GENERAL BUILDING HEIGHTS AND AREAS
  11. Chapter 6 — TYPES OF CONSTRUCTION
  12. Chapter 7 — FIRE AND SMOKE PROTECTION FEATURES
  13. Chapter 7A — MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION
  14. Chapter 8 — INTERIOR FINISHES
  15. Chapter 9 — FIRE PROTECTION AND LIFE SAFETY SYSTEMS
  16. Chapter 10 — MEANS OF EGRESS
  17. Chapter 11A — HOUSING ACCESSIBILITY
  18. Chapter 11B — ACCESSIBILITY TO PUBLIC BUILDINGS, PUBLIC ACCOMM…
  19. Chapter 12 — INTERIOR ENVIRONMENT
  20. Chapter 14 — EXTERIOR WALLS
  21. Chapter 15 — ROOF ASSEMBLIES AND ROOFTOP STRUCTURES
  22. Chapter 16 — STRUCTURAL DESIGN
  23. ▸Chapter 16A — STRUCTURAL DESIGN
    Overview
    1. Section 1601A
    2. Section 1602A
    3. Section 1603A
    4. Section 1604A
    5. Section 1605A
    6. Section 1607A
    7. Section 1606A
    8. Section 1608A
    9. Section 1609A
    10. Section 1610A
    11. Section 1611A
    12. Section 1612A
    13. Section 1613A
    14. Section 1614A
    15. Section 1615A
    16. Section 1616A
  24. Chapter 17 — SPECIAL INSPECTIONS AND TESTS
  25. Chapter 18 — SOILS AND FOUNDATIONS
  26. Chapter 19 — CONCRETE
  27. Chapter 20 — ALUMINUM
  28. Chapter 21 — MASONRY
  29. Chapter 22 — STEEL
  30. Chapter 23 — WOOD
  31. Chapter 24 — GLASS AND GLAZING
  32. Chapter 25 — GYPSUM BOARD, GYPSUM PANEL PRODUCTS AND PLASTER
  33. Chapter 26 — PLASTIC
  34. Chapter 27 — ELECTRICAL
  35. Chapter 28 — MECHANICAL SYSTEMS
  36. Chapter 30 — ELEVATORS AND CONVEYING SYSTEMS
  37. Chapter 31 — SPECIAL CONSTRUCTION
  38. Chapter 31B — PUBLIC POOLS
  39. Chapter 31C — RADIATION
  40. Chapter 31D — FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS
  41. Chapter 31F — MARINE OIL TERMINALS
  42. Chapter 32 — ENCROACHMENTS INTO THE PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY
  43. Chapter 33 — SAFEGUARDS DURING CONSTRUCTION
  44. Chapter 35 — REFERENCED STANDARDS
  45. Appendix A — EMPLOYEE QUALIFICATIONS
  46. Appendix B — BOARD OF APPEALS
  47. Appendix C — GROUP U – AGRICULTURAL BUILDINGS
  48. Appendix D — FIRE DISTRICTS
  49. Appendix F — RODENTPROOFING
  50. Appendix H — SIGNS
  51. Appendix I — PATIO COVERS
  52. Appendix J — GRADING
  53. Appendix K — GROUP R-3 AND GROUP R-3.1 OCCUPANCIES
  54. Appendix P — EMERGENCY HOUSING

GoCodebook provides public access, search, citation, multilingual explanation, and practical interpretation of legally adopted building regulations. It is not a substitute for the official ICC or California code publications.