San Jose Soft Story Ordinance · Screening Deadline October 1, 2027
PE-stamped screening, retrofit design, permit management, construction oversight, and FEMA grant documentation for San Jose multifamily owners. One California PE. Any single phase or the whole project — your call.
Does the Ordinance Apply?
Not a substitute for a PE determination. Enough to know whether to schedule one.
Was the building built before January 1, 1990?
Is the building wood-frame construction?
Does it have three or more dwelling units?
Result · Likely Subject
Your building is likely subject to the ordinance. Schedule a screening. We will perform the site visit, complete the City form, and submit the package on a confirmed schedule.
Result · Possibly Exempt
One of your answers suggests the building may be exempt. We can confirm in a 15-minute call, in writing.
The Process
Engage end-to-end, or hand off to us at any phase — including mid-project from another firm. No obligation to bundle. The phases are stand-alone services.
PE site visit, target story determination, City form signed and submitted. Fixed fee $1,495.
FEMA P-807 or CEBC Appendix A4 analysis. As-built confirmation included.
Stamped drawings, full calculations, connection details. Permit-ready package.
Submitted to PBCE. We manage every correction cycle until approved.
Bid documents, contractor vetting, contract review on your behalf.
Field inspections, RFI management, City inspection coordination.
As-built documentation, PBCE compliance certificate, recorded notice of completion.
CRMP EMR and City HMGP rebate applications. Concurrent with construction.
What We Cover
Each card below is a stand-alone service. Hire us for just the screening, just the retrofit design, just the grant docs — or all of it. The fee structure is the same either way.
The mandatory first step under San Jose's ordinance. A California PE visits your building, reviews the first story against CEBC Appendix Chapter A4, and determines whether a Wood-Frame Target Story exists. You receive a PE-stamped screening form ready for City submittal. Fixed fee: $1,495 per building.
If the screening identifies a target story, we move directly into evaluation using FEMA P-807 (performance-based, limits retrofit to the first story) or CEBC A4 (prescriptive). Same engineer, no handoff, scoped to your building.
Complete structural drawings, calculations, connection details, and general notes. We design the appropriate system for your configuration: steel moment frames for open-front parking bays, plywood shear walls on return walls, cantilever column systems with reinforced grade beams where required.
We prepare and submit the full plan check package to San Jose PBCE and manage every correction cycle until the permit is issued. You are not chasing City staff. We are.
We serve as your technical representative during construction. Field inspections, RFI responses, change order review, and City inspection coordination. Your contractor knows the work is being watched by the engineer who designed it.
Two active programs can offset your costs. The CRMP Earthquake Multi-Unit Retrofit grant offers up to $49,600 per building. The San Jose FEMA HMGP rebate is a separate City-administered program. We prepare the documentation both require.
Transparent Pricing
Construction costs vary by building size, configuration, and access conditions. Every phase beyond screening is scoped and quoted in writing within three business days of the preceding phase. The ranges below are planning estimates drawn from current Bay Area market data, not bids. You can stop after any phase or engage us for just one.
CRMP Grant Window · Aug 19 – Sep 30, 2026
Owners who complete screening and begin retrofit before the CRMP application window (August 19 to September 30, 2026) are best positioned to qualify for grant funds offsetting up to $49,600 per building. Documentation requirements are strict. We handle them.
Why Choose Us
15+ years in practice. 200+ buildings retrofitted across California. The same engineer signs your screening, your drawings, and your final closeout.
The engineer who performs your screening signs your retrofit drawings. You are never introduced to a second-tier reviewer three weeks into the project.
Doctoral research in seismic structural behavior underlies every determination. This is judgment applied to your building, not a checklist.
The fee on the engagement letter is the fee on the invoice. Screening is $1,495. Everything beyond that is scoped and quoted before work begins.
We design retrofits that protect your building and your tenants, not just retrofits that clear the City's minimum threshold.
From Owners Who Filed
"We had three buildings on the same block and weren't sure which ones were actually subject to the ordinance. H2 sorted it out in one site visit and submitted the paperwork the same week."
"The flat fee meant no surprises. Report came back stamped and ready to file. We didn't have to chase anyone down."
Common Questions
Owners of wood-frame multifamily buildings in San Jose with three or more dwelling units, built or permitted before January 1, 1990, that contain a soft, weak, or open-front first story. The City estimates roughly 3,500 buildings citywide are subject. All must submit a PE-stamped screening by October 1, 2027.
The first story of a building when that story is substantially weaker or more flexible than the story above. Common configurations include tuck-under parking garages, ground-floor commercial frontage, and large window or door openings without adequate shear wall. The City references CEBC Appendix Chapter A4 for the technical definition.
No. The City requires the screening to be performed and signed by a licensed engineer. The owner files the signed form with the City, but the screening itself must be conducted and stamped by a PE.
The ordinance requires retrofit by your group's deadline: April 1, 2031 for Group 1 (pre-1978, 5+ units), April 1, 2032 for Group 2 (1978–1990, 5+ units), April 1, 2033 for Group 3. If the screening shows no target story, the signed form is your documentation of compliance and no retrofit is required.
Chapter A4 is a prescriptive code method evaluating the first story using reduced design forces. It applies to all soft-story buildings but can result in over-strengthening the first floor, pushing more seismic demand into upper stories. FEMA P-807 is a performance-based method developed specifically for multi-unit wood-frame buildings. It limits the retrofit to the first story using elements with high displacement capacity, typically producing a more cost-effective design. We determine the right method during evaluation.
Yes, two programs are active. The CRMP Earthquake Multi-Unit Retrofit grant offers up to $49,600 per building, with applications open August 19 through September 30, 2026. Separately, San Jose secured $4.6 million in FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding to provide rebates to qualifying owners. These are independent programs with separate eligibility and administrators. We prepare the documentation both require.
Missing the deadline puts the building in non-compliance. The City's enforcement posture includes recorded notices and potential fines. The fastest path back to compliance is submitting a screening as soon as possible. We handle expedited engagements for owners under enforcement pressure.
Yes. Screening, evaluation, retrofit design, permit management, construction oversight, grant documentation, and final closeout. Same engineer throughout.
Offset Your Costs
Statewide program administered by the California Residential Mitigation Program. Up to $49,600 per building: up to $7,000 toward permits and engineered plans, up to $4,260 per unit toward construction. Registration opens August 19, 2026. Applications close September 30, 2026. Detailed cost documentation from design and construction phases is required. We prepare the full package.
The City of San Jose received $4.6 million in FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding to provide rebates to qualifying owners. Administered by the City of San Jose. Application amounts and process are being finalized as the ordinance rolls out. Maintaining clean documentation from screening through construction closeout is essential to a successful application.
These are independent programs. Eligibility, amounts, and application timing should be verified directly with CRMP and the City of San Jose before including grant proceeds in project underwriting. We confirm current program status at engagement.
Schedule Your Screening
Free 15-minute scoping call with the California PE who will perform your screening. Written engagement letter within one business day. The same engineer stays with your project through final sign-off.
