Chapter 12.07 — SEISMIC HAZARD IDENTIFICATION AND MITIGATION PROGRAM FOR UNREINFORC

It is generally acknowledged that the city of Vallejo is located in a geographic area of high seismic risk, due to its proximity to both the San Andreas and Hayward faults, and may reasonably be expected to experience moderate to severe ground shaking in the event of a significant local earthquake. Such ground shaking could result in serious injury or loss of life due to damage or collapse of buildings. Historically, unreinforced masonry buildings have been shown to be especially vulnerable in the absence of positive mechanical attachment of the roof and/or floors to the walls of such buildings. The purpose of this chapter is to promote public safety by identifying those buildings in the city which exhibit structural deficiencies in their capacities for earthquake resistance, and by determining the severity and extent of those deficiencies in relation to their potential for causing injury or loss of life. In addition, this chapter contains a provision to mitigate potential seismic hazards by requiring attachment of the roof and/or floors to the walls of such buildings.

(Ord. 1075 N.C.(2d) § 10, 1990.)

For purposes of this chapter the following definitions shall apply, in addition to the definitions contained in the latest California State Building Code, the California Existing Building Code and the California Historical Building Code adopted by the city of Vallejo:

A.

"Civil engineer" and "structural engineer" are licensed civil and structural engineers registered by the state of California pursuant to the rules and regulations set forth in Chapter 7, Division 3 of the California Business and Professions Code as described in Part I of Title 24 of the California Building Standards Administrative Code.

B.

"The California Existing Building Code." All references to the California Existing Building Code (CEBC) contained within this chapter shall be references to the California Existing Building Code as contained in California Code of Regulations, Title 24, Part 10, 2007 Edition.

C.

"The California Historical Building Code." All references to the California Historical Building Code (CHBC) contained within this chapter shall be references to the California Historical Building Code as contained in California Code of Regulations, Title 24, Part 8, 2007 Edition.

D.

"Unreinforced masonry (URM) building" means any building containing walls and/or columns constructed wholly or partially of masonry without at least fifty percent of the reinforcement required by the most current edition of the California Existing Building Code adopted by the city, and includes:

1.

Unreinforced brick masonry;

2.

Unreinforced concrete masonry;

3.

Hollow clay tile;

Adobe or unburned clay masonry;

Stone masonry:

E.

"Risk categories" are defined as follows:

1.

"Essential building" means any building housing a hospital or other medical facility having surgery or emergency treatment areas; fire or police stations; municipal government disaster operation and communication centers.

2.

"High risk building" means any building not classified as an essential building, having an occupant load of one hundred persons or more, and in consideration of the following criteria:

a.

Public or pedestrian exposure to the building;

b.

Quality of construction materials or techniques;

c.

Configuration of structure to resist seismic forces.

"Medium risk building" means any building not classified as an essential building, having an occupant load of twenty persons or more, and in consideration of the following criteria:

a.

Public or pedestrian exposure to the building;

b.

Quality of construction materials or techniques;

c.

Configuration of structure to resist seismic forces.

4.

"Low risk building" means any building not classified as an essential building, having an occupant load of less then twenty persons and in consideration of the following criteria:

a.

Public or pedestrian exposure to the building;

b.

Quality of construction materials or techniques;

c.

Configuration of structure to resist seismic forces.

(Ord. 1601 N.C.(2d) § 5.01, 2007: Ord. 1075 N.C.(2d) § 1 (part), 1990.)

12.07.040 - Scope of program.

Owners of all URM buildings in the city, except as exempted below, shall be required to have an engineering report submitted to the city's building division, to determine the existence, nature, extent and severity of structural deficiencies in their buildings' capacities for earthquake resistance which could result in damage or collapse with possible injury or loss of life.

A.

Exempted Buildings. The following buildings are exempted from complying with this chapter:

1.

Residential buildings with five or fewer dwelling units;

Warehouses or similar structures not used for human habitation, except for warehouses or structures housing emergency services equipment or supplies;

3.

Buildings which have already been structurally upgraded in substantial accordance with either the California Existing Building Code, the 2007 California Building Code or to the 1973 or later edition of the UBC or the City of Los Angeles Division 88 Standard for URM Buildings.

(Ord. 1601 N.C.(2d) § 5.02, 2007; Ord. 1075 N.C.(2d) § 1 (part), 1990.)

Owners of buildings included in the scope of this program shall be notified within ten days of the effective date of the ordinance codified in this chapter by the building division of the city of Vallejo that each such building has been included in the city's list of potentially hazardous URM buildings, and is required to have an engineering report submitted to the city.

(Ord. 1075 N.C.(2d) § 1 (part), 1990.)

At the time of building owner notification, the building official shall file with the office of the county recorder a certificate stating that the subject building falls within the scope of this chapter, has been included in the city's list of potentially hazardous URM buildings, and is required to comply with the provisions contained herein. At such later time as each such identified building has either been determined as excludable from the city's list by further investigation, or has undergone mitigation of its hazards to the satisfaction of the building official, the building official shall then file with the office of the county recorder a certificate stating that the building has been removed from the potentially hazardous classification.

(Ord. 1075 N.C.(2d) § 1 (part), 1990.)

Unreinforced masonry buildings that are newly found, or have come into the jurisdiction of the city of Vallejo after 1994 must comply with the current Building and Fire Code requirements for the occupancy classification including fire, life, safety, sanitation, and accessibility requirements at the time the building is occupied. The mitigation time lines per Section 12.07.090 shall start at the time of the discovery of the URM building. If the building is not occupied the mitigation time lines will start at the time the building is occupied.

(Ord. 1601 N.C.(2d) § 5.04, 2007.)

Owners of identified buildings shall submit engineering reports to the building division of the city as follows:

A.

Time Frame. Engineering reports shall be submitted within twelve months of the date of notification by the building official, or such additional time as the building official deems necessary and proper provided the owner has submitted a signed contract with the engineer for preparation of the report.

B.

Authorized Preparers. Engineering reports shall be prepared by civil or structural engineers, as previously defined herein, who are familiar with seismic analysis and design.

C.

Purpose. The purpose of each such engineering report shall be to investigate, in a thorough and unambiguous fashion, a building's structural systems that resist earthquake forces, and to evaluate their adequacy to resist the seismic design forces as specified herein.

D.

Engineering Standards. The engineering standards to be used in preparation of engineering reports shall be the most current edition of the California Existing Building Code as adopted by the city, as referenced in Vallejo Municipal Code Section 12.07.170.

E.

Format. The format for engineering reports shall be as outlined in Section 12.07.180 of this chapter, or other equivalent format approved in writing by the building official.

F.

Other. Submit bid(s) from licensed contractor(s).

(Ord. 1601 N.C.(2d) § 5.05, 2007: Ord. 1075 N.C.(2d) § 1 (part), 1990.)

A letter of intent shall be submitted within ninety days after submittal of the engineering report, and shall describe in general fashion how the building owner intends to approach hard reductions of the building in addition to the floor/roof wall anchoring. Options available to the building owner for approaching hazard reduction include, but are not limited, to the following:

A.

Structural rehabilitation of the building to meet or exceed the seismic provisions of the engineering standards referenced herein;

B.

Change in use of the building to a residential or warehouse occupancy exempted from compliance with this chapter, as previously described herein, or as may be allowed by other city ordinances;

C.

Sale of the building to a new owner, who shall then bear the responsibility of hazard reduction;

D.

Vacating the building pending further investigation of possible alternatives;

E.

Demolition of the building, or portions thereof, to eliminate the potentially hazardous conditions;

F.

Any building which qualifies as "historical property" as determined by an appropriate governmental agency under Section 37602 of the Health and Safety Code shall be retrofitted in accordance with the State Historical Building Code.

(Ord. 1075 N.C.(2d) § 1 (part), 1990.)

Owners of identified buildings included in the scope of this program shall be required to adequately secure the roof and floor(s) to the building's walls as described in the engineers report within the following time frames:

A.

Time Frame for High Risk Buildings. Work shall be completed within twenty-four months after submittal of engineering report, or such additional time as the building official deems reasonable and necessary provided that the owner shall diligently pursue completion of the work.

B.

Time Frame for Medium Risk Buildings. Work shall be completed within thirty months after submittal of engineering report, or such additional time as the building official deems reasonable and necessary provided that the owner shall diligently pursue completion of the work.

C.

Time Frame for Low Risk Buildings. Work shall be complete within thirty-six months after submittal of engineering report, or such additional time as the building official deems reasonable and necessary provided that the owner shall diligently pursue completion of the work.

(Ord. 1601 N.C.(2d) § 5.05, 2007: Ord. 1075 N.C.(2d) § 1 (part), 1990.)

The building division shall review the documents submitted for each identified building for conformance to this chapter, consistent with the adopted requirements for plan review as defined in the most current edition of the UBC adopted by the city. Copies of engineering reports submitted shall be available to the public for review at the building division upon request.

(Ord. 1075 N.C.(2d) § 1 (part), 1990.)

Owners of each identified building shall provide each of their tenants with written notification that a seismic investigation of their building has taken place, and that the engineering report documenting the investigation is available for review at the building division. Such notification shall occur within thirty days after submittal of the engineering report to the building division.

(Ord. 1075 N.C.(2d) § 1 (part), 1990.)

Any person, firm or corporation violating or causing a violation of any of the provisions of this chapter is guilty of an infraction, punishable as provided in this code. Nothing contained in this section prevents the city from seeking redress of any violation of this chapter by civil action.

(Ord. 1075 N.C.(2d) § 1 (part), 1990.)

The building division shall prepare and submit to the city council in the month of February of each year, an annual progress report on the implementation of this chapter.

(Ord. 1075 N.C.(2d) § 1 (part), 1990.)

The interpretation of the building official shall prevail on matters relating to the implementation of this chapter.

(Ord. 1075 N.C.(2d) § 1 (part), 1990.)

Whenever the property owner disagrees with the determination of the building official with respect to (a) definition of building risk, (b) building exemption, (c) the letter of intent setting forth the owner's time frame and proposed work to correct the remaining hazards, or (d) disapproves an application or refuses to grant a permit applied for, or when it is claimed that the provisions of the code do not apply or that the true intent and meaning of the code have been misconstrued or wrongly interpreted, the applicant may appeal from the decision of the building official to the city council within ten days from the date of the decision appealed. Notice of appeal shall be in writing designating the grounds for the appeal, signed by the appellant, or his/her duly authorized agent, and filed in the office of the city clerk. The city clerk shall schedule a public hearing on such appeal to commence within thirty days after filing the notice of appeal. The findings and conclusions of the city council shall be final and conclusive in the matter.

(Ord. 1075 N.C.(2d) § 1, 1990.)

Notwithstanding any schedules or times for performance or compliance otherwise established in this chapter, or previous time extensions, the time for performance of all acts required pursuant to this chapter is hereby extended to August 31, 1994, regardless of the level of risk of the identified building. Prior to the expiration of this time extension, the manager shall report to the council regarding the then-current status of compliance with this chapter by the owners of identified buildings.

(Ord. 1282 N.C.(2d) § 1, 1993: Ord. 1190 N.C.(2d) § 1, 1991.)

For purposes of preparing engineering reports on URM buildings for the city of Vallejo, the applicable engineering standards are found in the 2007 Existing Building Code, including Appendix Chapter A1 and Referenced Standards as contained in the California Code of Regulations, Title 24, Part 10.

(Ord. 1601 N.C.(2d) § 5.07, 2007.)

12.07.180 - Format for engineering reports.

Engineering reports on URM buildings in the city of Vallejo shall incorporate the following format:

A.

Data Sheet. This sheet contains general information about the building, including its address, use/occupancy, date of original construction, dates of any subsequent structural alterations, names and addresses of the building's designers, if known, building area, number of stories, and occupant load calculations.

B.

Building Configuration.

1.

Configuration. Include descriptions of the building's size, shape, arrangements of structural elements, and irregularities or discontinuities, nonstructural elements (appendages, parapets, facades), and adjacent building if relevant.

2.

Materials. Indicates types, ages and present-day observed conditions.

3.

Site Geology. Provide information as required by the building official for any special site or soil conditions, landslide activity or earthquake fault proximity.

C.

Plans of Existing Construction. The following plans shall be included, to the degree of detail required to adequately show the seismic integrity of the existing conditions:

Site plan

2.

Roof plan

3.

Floor plan (for each level)

4.

Roof framing plan

5.

Floor framing plan (for each level)

6.

Foundation plan

7.

Exterior elevations

8.

Wall elevations (of any interior URM walls)

9.

Structural building section(s)

10.

Structural details (as needed)

D.

Calculations to Check Existing Construction. Structural calculations shall include the following:

1.

Derivation of earthquake demand (seismic design) forces and their distribution to resisting elements and connections.

2.

Capacities of existing resisting elements and connections. Include materials testing results.

3.

Capacity/demand ratios (factors of safety) for existing elements and connections.

E.

Conclusions and Recommendations. Describe areas found by analysis to be deficient in their ability to withstand prescribed seismic forces. Discuss in general terms the alternatives available for mitigation of these inadequacies, and the engineer's recommendations for most suitable solutions.

Note: Each engineering report shall bear the signature and professional registration number, including its expiration date, of the responsible civil or structural engineer.

(Ord. 1601 N.C.(2d) § 5.08, 2007.)

Chapter 12.08 - PROPERTY MAINTENANCE CODE ADOPTED