The goal of the mandatory retrofit program, under Ordinance 183893 is to reduce structural deficiencies by the most economical and attainable methods. Without proper strengthening, these vulnerable buildings may be subjected to structural failure during and/or after an earthquake. In the past, soft-story buildings with weak and/or open front wall lines performed poorly and collapsed due to seismic activity. Buildings that are most vulnerable have been identified with the following criteria:
-Contains ground floor parking or other similar open floor space.
-Consists of two or more stories with wood frame construction.
-Built under building code standards enacted before January 1, 1978.