329.1 General.

329.1 General.

The intent of Section 329.1 is to cover certain E-occupancy buildings that are not under the jurisdiction of the Division of State Architect’s Structural safety section and non-building structures accessory to those buildings.

The intent of Section 329.1 is to cover all the buildings and non-building structures on the school campus that are used primarily for school purposes, including cafeterias, gyms and multipurpose rooms. Schools will have the opportunity to use the Scoping Document to state buildings they intend to

evaluate.

For purposes of Section 329, a “non-building structure” is defined in SFBC Chapter 2 as a structure that does not support or shelter any use or occupancy and is also defined in ASCE 7-16 Chapter 15. The intent of Section 329.1 is to include non-building structures such as retaining walls, covered walkways, patio covers, and other structures that are prone to earthquake damage, but only when these non-building structures serve buildings subject to Section 329. It is not the intent of Section 329.1 to include lightweight structures with no history of poor earthquake performance, such as well-anchored playground equipment or light wood or metal fences. Some Department judgment is expected to apply during review of the Evaluation Scope document.

It is not the intent of Section 329.1 to cover:

• Buildings off of the school’s campus, even if used by students or faculty.

• Buildings on the school’s campus that are used primarily for non-school purposes, such as churches or convents, including such buildings occupied by 25 or more persons for less than 12 hours per week or four hours in any given day. SFBC Section 305.1.1 applies to spaces associated with the functions of the place of religious worship to which they are accessory. It is the intent of SFEBC Section 329.1 that classrooms in buildings used for religious worship are within the scope of Section 329.1 if they are used for educational purposes for an amount of time that exceeds the time restrictions listed in 329.1 Exception 1.

• Buildings occupied by 25 or more persons for less than 12 hours per week or four hours in any given day.

• Schools where the average enrollment of the past three years is 25 or fewer students.

In accordance with SFBC Section 303.1.3, school gyms, auditoriums, and other spaces or structures used for assembly purposes that are nevertheless assigned an E occupancy and are thus within the scope of Section 329.1.

Evaluations shall be conducted under the supervision of a licensed design professional.