Chapter 3 — PROVISIONS FOR ALL COMPLIANCE METHODS

Section 317 — [BSC, DSA-SS & DSA-SS/CC]—EARTHQUAKE EVALUATION AND DESIGN FOR RETROFIT…

2025 California Existing Building Code (Title 24, Part 10) · 2025 edition · ingested 2026-07-07 · California

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317.1 Purpose.

317.1 Purpose. 317.1.1 Existing state-owned structures. [BSC] The provisions of Sections 317 through 322 establish minimum standards for earthquake evaluation and design for retrofit of existing state-owned structures, including buildings owned by the University of California and the California State University. The provisions of Sections 317 through 323 may be adopted by a local jurisdiction for earthquake evaluation and design for retrofit of existing buildings. 317.1.2 Public school buildings. [DSA-SS] The provisions of Sections 317 through 323 establish minimum standards for earthquake…

317.2 Scope.

317.2 Scope. All alterations, structurally connected additions and/or repairs to existing structures or portions thereof shall, at a minimum, be designed and constructed to resist the effects of seismic ground motions as provided in this section. The structural system shall be evaluated by a registered design professional and, if not meeting or exceeding the minimum seismic design performance requirements of this section, shall be retrofitted in compliance with these requirements. Exception: Those structures for which Section 317.3 determines that assessment is not required, or for which…

317.3 Applicability.

317.3 Applicability. 317.3.1 Existing state-owned buildings. [BSC, DSA-SS] For existing state-owned structures including all buildings owned by the University of California and the California State University, the requirements of Section 317 apply whenever the structure is to be retrofitted, repaired or modified and any of the following apply: 1. Total construction cost, not including cost of furnishings, fixtures and equipment, or normal maintenance, for the building exceeds 25 percent of the construction cost for the replacement of the existing building. The changes are cumulative for past…

317.4 Evaluation required.

317.4 Evaluation required. If the criteria in Section 317.3 apply to the project under consideration, the design professional of record shall provide an evaluation in accordance with Section 317 to determine the seismic performance of the building in its current configuration and condition. If the structure's seismic performance as required by Section 317.5 is evaluated as satisfactory and the peer reviewer(s), when Method B of Section 321 is used, concur, then no structural retrofit is required.

317.5 Minimum seismic design performance levels for structural and nonstructural components.

317.5 Minimum seismic design performance levels for structural and nonstructural components. Following the notations of ASCE 41, the seismic requirements for design and assessment are based upon a prescribed Seismic Hazard Level (BSE-1N, BSE-2N, BSE-1E, BSE-R or BSE-C), a specified structural performance level (S-1 through S-5) and a nonstructural performance level (N-A through N-E). The minimum seismic performance criteria are given in Table 317.5 according to the Building Regulatory Authority and the Risk Category as determined in Chapter 16 of the California Building Code or by the…

317.6 Retrofit required.

317.6 Retrofit required. Where the evaluation indicates the building does not meet the required performance objectives of this section, the owner shall take appropriate steps to ensure that the building’s structural system is retrofitted in accordance with the provisions of Section 317. Appropriate steps are either: 1) undertake the seismic retrofit as part of the additions, alterations and/or repairs of the structure; or 2) provide a plan, acceptable to the building official, to complete the seismic retrofit in a timely manner. The relocation or moving of an existing building is considered…

317.7 The additions, alteration or repair to any existing building are permitted to be…

317.7 The additions, alteration or repair to any existing building are permitted to be prepared in accordance with the structural and nonstructural requirements for a new building as given in the California Building Code, applied to the entire building.

317.8 The requirements of ASCE 41 Chapters 14 and 15 are to apply to the use of seismic…

317.8 The requirements of ASCE 41 Chapters 14 and 15 are to apply to the use of seismic isolation and passive energy systems, respectively, for the repair, voluntary lateral-force-resisting system modification or retrofit of an existing structure. When seismic isolation or passive energy dissipation is used, the project must have project peer review as prescribed in Section 322.

317.9 Any construction required by this chapter shall include structural observation by…

317.9 Any construction required by this chapter shall include structural observation by the registered design professional who is responsible for the structural design in accordance with Section 319.10. on Jul 18, 2025 11:14 AM (CDT) THEREUNDER. PROVISIONS FOR ALL COMPLIANCE METHODS

317.10 Where Method B of Section 321 is used or is required by Section 319.7, the…

317.10 Where Method B of Section 321 is used or is required by Section 319.7, the proposed method of building evaluation and design procedures must be accepted by the building official prior to the commencement of the work.

317.11 Voluntary lateral-force-resisting system modifications.

317.11 Voluntary lateral-force-resisting system modifications. Where the exception of Section 317.2 applies, modifications of existing structural components and additions of new structural components that are initiated for the purpose of improving the seismic performance of an existing structure and that are not required by other portions of this chapter are permitted under the requirements of Section 319.12.