San Jose Soft Story Ordinance · Screening Deadline October 1, 2028
PE-stamped screening, retrofit design, permit management, construction oversight, and FEMA grant documentation for San Jose multifamily owners. 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.
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.
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.
Grant programs may help offset your costs. The CRMP Earthquake Multi-Unit Retrofit (EMR) program supports seismic retrofits of qualifying multifamily buildings; its 2026 registration window has closed, and future rounds may open. The City of San Jose administers separate assistance for qualifying owners. We prepare the documentation these programs require.
What's Included
Every phase is scoped in writing before work begins. Written scope and fee within one business day. You can stop after any phase or engage us for just one.
CRMP EMR Program · 2026 Registration Closed
The 2026 registration window for the CRMP Earthquake Multi-Unit Retrofit program has closed. Future rounds may open. Owners with a completed screening are best positioned when they do. We prepare the documentation the program requires.
Why Choose Us
Engineering led by a California-licensed Civil Engineer (PE) with a Ph.D. in structural earthquake engineering. Every report is reviewed and stamped by the licensed PE who leads the analysis.
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. Every phase is scoped and quoted in writing 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. The ordinance takes effect April 1, 2027, and every subject building must submit a PE-stamped screening by October 1, 2028. The City portal is already accepting screening forms.
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 construction to be complete by your group's deadline: April 1, 2032 for Group 1 (pre-1978, 5+ units), April 1, 2033 for Group 2 (1978–1990, 5+ units), and April 1, 2034 for Group 3 (pre-1990, 3+ units). Dates per the City program office's written confirmation (Aug 2026); the City web page is being updated. 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.
Possibly. The CRMP Earthquake Multi-Unit Retrofit (EMR) program supports retrofits of qualifying multifamily buildings; its 2026 registration window has closed, and future rounds may open. Separately, the City of San Jose administers assistance for qualifying owners using FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding. 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 path back to compliance is submitting a screening.
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. It supports engineered plans, permits, and construction for qualifying multifamily retrofits. The 2026 registration window has closed; future rounds may open. Detailed cost documentation from design and construction phases is required. We prepare the full package.
The City of San Jose uses FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding to assist 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 our engineering team. Written scope and fee within one business day. Every report is reviewed and stamped by the licensed PE who leads the analysis.
