HomeMy WebLinkAbout91-10 ORDINANCE NO. 91-10
THE TOWN COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF DANVILLE DOES ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Sections 10-12 through 10-12.15 of Chapter X,
entitled "Unreinforced Masonry Buildings," is hereby added to the
Danville Municipal Code to read as follows:
10-12 Unreinforced Masonry Buildings
Section 10-12.1 Purpose and Intent
Section 10-12.2 Definitions
Section 10-12.3 Applicability
Section 10-12.10 Owner Notification
Section 10-12.11 Implementation Schedule
Section 10-12.12 Structural Repair Standards
Section 10-12.13 Engineering Reports
Section 10-12.14 Building Owners' Responsibilities
Section 10-12.15 Remedies
Section 10-12.1. Purpose and Intent.
The purpose of this chapter is to promote public safety and
welfare by reducing the risk of death or injury that might result
from damage or collapse of buildings constructed of unreinforced
masonry walls in the event of a strong or moderate local
earthquake. This chapter is designed to require building owners to
strengthen their unreinforced masonry buildings in conformance with
a set of structural strengthening standards to be completed within
the time schedule established herein.
The provisions of this chapter are intended to be minimum
standards for structural seismic resistance established primarily
to reduce the risk of, but not necessarily prevent, life loss,
personal injury, or earthquake damage to an existing building which
complies with these standards.
Section 10-12.2. Definitions.
In this chapter unless the context otherwise requires:
(A) "Bearing wall" means any wall supporting a floor or roof where
the total superimposed load exceeds one hundred (100) pounds
per lineal foot, or any unreinforced masonry wall supporting
its own weight when over six (6) feet in height.
(B) "Civil engineer or Structural engineer" means a licensed civil
or structural engineer registered by the State of California
pursuant to the rules and regulations of Title 16, Chapter 5
of the California Administrative Code.
(c) "Occupants" means the total maximum occupant load of a
building determined by either 1) Table 33-A of the Uniform
Building Code or 2) the actual maximum number of occupants in
the building as certified by the building owner and current
tenants.
(D) "Story" means that portion of a building included between the
upper surface of any floor and the upper surface of the floor
next above, except that the topmost story shall be that
portion of a building included between the upper surface of
the topmost floor and the ceiling or roof above.
(E) "Unreinforced Masonry (URM) Building" means any building
containing walls constructed wholly or partially with any of
the following materials and containing less than fifty (50)
percent of the minimum reinforcing steel required by the 1988
Uniform Building Code Section 2407 (h) 4 B.
1. Unreinforced brick masonry
2. Unreinforced concrete masonry
3. Hollow clay tile
4. Adobe or unburned clay masonry
Section 10-12.3. Applicability.
The requirements of this chapter shall apply to all
unreinforced masonry buildings identified in the Town.
Exceptions:
1. Any building used exclusively for residential purposes
containing five (5) or less living units.
2. Any building used solely for storage that has no
permanent occupancy and is not located adjacent to a
public way nor adjacent to other occupied structures.
3.Any building that is totally vacant.
Buildings currently conforming to exceptions number 2 and 3
above will be subject to the provisions of this chapter at the time
they are occupied or used for purposes other than those exempted.
Section 10-12.10. Owner Notification.
Within ~ix (6) w~k~ after th~ ~naotm~nt of thi~ ordinance,
the Town Building Official shall provide written no%ifica%ion to
the owners of unreinforced masonry buildings determined to be
within the scope of this chapter that they are required to submit
engineering reports, submit plans for and complete any necessary
structural repairs within the time limits established in Section
10-12.11.
Section 10-12.11. Implementation schedule.
The owners of unreinforced masonry buildings shall take the
appropriate actions to comply with the requirements and time
schedule set forth below.
1. Submit an investigative engineering report within six (6)
months of the adoption of this ordinance. At the owner's
option, a complete set of plans for the necessary
structural repairs may be submitted in application for a
building permit at this time in lieu of the engineering
report.
2. Submit plans, within six (6) months after the engineering
report is submitted, as application for a building permit
to provide structural strengthening.
3. Complete re-construction within one year after the
building permit is issued.
The building owner may apply for up to one (1) six month
deadline extension each for subsections 2 and 3. Extensions
may be granted administratively by the Town Building Official
contingent upon demonstration that the need for relief from
hardship is justified.
Section 10-12.12. Structural repair standards.
The procedures and engineering standards establishing a
minimum level of structural strengthening required for all
unreinforced masonry buildings within the scope of this chapter
shall be as provided in the City of Los Angeles Building Code, 1988
Edition, Division 88, "Earthquake Hazard Reduction in Existing
Buildings".
Exception: Section 10-12.11 of this chapter shall supersede
Sections 8805 and 8806, and Tables 88-B, and 88-C of the City
of Los Angeles Building Code. Section 8804 and Table 88-A of
the City of Los Angeles Building Code shall not apply.
Nothing would prevent an owner from using a higher standard which
is acceptable to the Town for such seismic strengthening. The
standards in said building code will apply if a permit is issued
for a building's repair prior to any adoption by the State of
Callfo~nia of a mandatory ~tandard affecting ~xi~ting unr~inforced
buildings.
Section 10-12.13. Engineerinq reports.
A. Building owners shall employ a civil or structural engineer to
perform the necessary investigation and analysis of their
buildings.
B. The report shall investigate, in a thorough and unambiguous
fashion, a building's structural systems that resist the
forces imposed by earthquakes and to determine if any
individual portion or combination of these systems is
inadequate to prevent a structural failure.
C. Each engineering report should follow the following format.
This format is not a rigid set of requirements. Rather, it
provides the framework within which individual approaches to
assembling the required information may be accomplished while
also allowing the Town to evaluate the completeness of each
report.
1. Provide a general description of the building including:
a. the street address;
b. the type of occupancy and uses within the building;
c. plans and elevations showing the type and extent of
the lateral force resisting elements in the
building;
d. a description of the type of construction materials
used in the structural systems and information
regarding their present conditions;
e. the date of original construction if known.
2. Investigate and evaluate the structural systems.
Calculations and supporting documents prepared in this
process shall be made a part of the report.
3. Include test reports. All field and laboratory test
results shall be included in the report. A statement
regarding the significance of the test results shall be
made for each type of structural system or feature
tested.
4. Based on the investigation and analysis of the building's
seismic resisting structural systems, a statement shall
be provided to explain in lay terms the types of
deficiencies discovered, the potential consequences of
those deficiencies in the event of an earthquake, and a
recommendation for remedial actions to correct them.
D. Exceptions to the specific items required to be included in
the engineering reports may be granted by the Town Building
Official uDon review of a written request from the engineer
preparing the report. Such a request must provide evidence
that adequate information concerning the required item(s) and
satisfactory conclusion on the building's seismic resistance
can be determined by alternate means. The purpose of granting
such exceptions shall be to reduce the costs or disruption
that would result from taking required actions, when it can be
shown that they are unnecessary to provide information
available by other equivalent means. The decision of the
Building Official in granting exceptions is final.
E. The Town shall review each report for compliance with the
procedures set forth in this section. Reports not in
compliance with these requirements will be required to be
corrected and resubmitted for review.
F. Reports submitted to the Town will be made available for
review to any interested party. Copies, however, will not be
provided without the written consent of the engineer and
owner.
Section 10-12.14. Responsibilities of the building owners.
A building owner shall notify all tenants, in writing, that a
structural investigation has been performed and that the report is
available for review at the Town Building Services Division Office.
This notice must be sent within thirty (30) days of the date the
report is submitted to the Town.
Section 10-12.15. Remedies.
It shall be unlawful for the owner of a building identified as
being included in the scope of this ordinance to fail to submit an
engineering report, fail to submit plans for correction of
structural deficiencies discovered, or fail to complete the
necessary structural corrections within the time period specified
in Section 10-12.11. To remedy noncompliance, the Town may revoke
the building's certificate of occupancy and cause it to be vacated
until such requirements are met, or may pursue any other legal
remedy available to it, per Section 203 of the Uniform Building
Code.
SECTION 2. Effective Date. This ordinance shall become
effective upon the commencement of the thirty-first day after the
day of its passage.
SECTION 3. Publication. The city Clerk shall either:
A. have this ordinance published once within fifteen days after
adoption in a newspaper of general circulation or;
B. have a summary of this ordinance published twice in a
newspaper of general circulation once five days before its
adoption and again within fifteen (15) days after adoption.
SECTION 4. Codification. Only Section 1 of this ordinance
shall be codified in the Danville Municipal Code.
The foregoing ordinance was introduced at a meeting of the
Town Council of the Town of Danville held on May 21, 1991, and was
adopted and ordered published at a meeting of the Town Council held
on June 18, 1991 by the following vote:
AYES: GREENBERG, LANE, RITCHEY, SCHLENDORF, SHIMANSKY
NOES: NONE
ABSENT: NONE ~~~~_~
Mayor
Approved as to fr~lm:
Cit Ate' ' ~
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