Inspections of balconies and “exterior elevated elements” on multifamily buildings are now required by California law.
The law, Senate Bill 721, applies to apartment buildings with three or more dwelling units.
Apartment owners needing assistance in complying with the new law’s requirements can call on Optimum Seismic’s decades of structural engineering design and construction experience to get the job done.
Investigation of a residential balcony collapse that killed six people in Berkeley showed the balcony’s wood framing was weakened by dry rot from rain leaking through the seal of the main building causing the critical load-bearing support to fail. The new law requires inspection of exterior elevated elements and associated waterproofing elements, including decks and balconies, porches, stairways and entry structures with walkways over six feet off the ground for buildings with three or more multifamily dwelling units.