183893
Soft-Story
Wood-frame buildings with parking or retail on the ground floor, permitted before January 1, 1978. Most common in Koreatown, East Hollywood, and Silver Lake. Deadline depends on unit count.
Los Angeles · LADBS Ordinance 183893 & 184081
Is your building on LA’s retrofit list? We’ll check it for free.
Send us the address. Within 48 hours you’ll get a one-page report that tells you which ordinance applies (if any), what the typical scope looks like, and what it usually costs. No cost. No obligation. No sales call unless you ask for one.
Or call (323) 334-0991. We pick up 8am–6pm, Monday to Saturday.
- Ordinance records checked against LADBS
- Every report reviewed by a licensed structural engineer
- 48-hour turnaround
- No cost, ever
The three rules most property owners get mixed up
There are three separate retrofit ordinances in the City of Los Angeles. They cover different building types, have different deadlines, and cost wildly different amounts. Most owners we talk to think they’re under one when they’re actually under another.
184081
Non-Ductile Concrete
Older concrete frames with brittle columns and not enough rebar. Highest cost category by a wide margin. LADBS has been strict on deadlines for these.
URM
Unreinforced Masonry
Brick buildings where the walls aren’t tied to the floors or roof. Common on older commercial corridors in Boyle Heights and West Adams. Usually paired with parapet bracing.
Not sure which one applies? That’s what the free check is for. Send the address
The four scopes you’ll hear about
Soft-story retrofit
Steel moment frames, shear walls, and foundation anchoring. Usually 4–8 weeks of construction once permits clear. Permitting is the long part.
Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB)
Foundation bolting and cripple wall bracing for older single-family homes. We check EBB grant eligibility as part of the report — it opens and closes on a schedule.
Non-ductile concrete retrofit
Column jacketing, new shear walls, sometimes FRP. Longer timelines. Engineer-led scope from day one.
URM and foundation work
Wall anchorage, parapet bracing, foundation upgrades. Often combined with a facade or tenant improvement project.
One call. We coordinate everything after that.
Engineer, permits, contractor, inspections. You talk to one person, and we keep everyone else moving. Licensed engineers design the retrofit and licensed contractors build it. We make sure it actually gets done, on the city’s clock and not someone else’s.
- 1
Records check
Free. Which ordinance applies, what’s on file with LADBS. 48 hours.
- 2
Structural engineer
We bring in a licensed engineer for the site visit, design, and calcs.
- 3
LADBS plan check
We track the submittal and chase corrections so it doesn’t sit in the queue.
- 4
Contractor bids
Licensed contractors bid against the engineer’s plans. You pick.
- 5
Construction and inspections
We keep the schedule, line up inspections, and keep you posted weekly.
- 6
Sign-off
Final inspection passed, compliance filed. You get the paperwork for your records.
Four steps. Only one is on you.
You send the address.
30 seconds
Just the address. No survey, no permit number, no title report. We pull everything else from public records.
We check LADBS records.
1–2 business days
Ordinance status, year built, unit count, and any prior retrofit permits on file.
The report lands in your inbox.
One page. Plain English. Which ordinance applies, what the typical scope looks like, ballpark cost range, and the next step if you want to take one.
You decide.
If you want to move forward, we connect you with a licensed structural engineer for an on-site assessment. If you don’t, the report is still yours to keep.
Three things we do differently
We only work in the City of Los Angeles.
Not “greater LA”, not Orange County. Los Angeles city limits. That means we know the LADBS plan check queue, which inspectors are strict on what, and which engineers turn reports around in two weeks versus two months.
Engineering sets the scope. Sales doesn’t.
Every report goes through a licensed structural engineer before it reaches you. If the scope doesn’t hold up, it doesn’t go out.
We’ll tell you if you don’t need anything.
If the building isn’t in scope, the report says so, and you keep it for your records. That happens more often than you’d think.
Send the address. We’ll do the rest.
Takes about 30 seconds. Report lands in your inbox within 48 hours.
1 of 3
What you’ll get
- Which ordinance applies to your building (if any)
- What the typical retrofit scope looks like
- A ballpark cost range based on comparable buildings
- The next step, if you want to take one
Prefer to talk first? Call (323) 334-0991. We pick up 8am–6pm, Monday to Saturday. If we miss you, we call back the same day.
What property managers ask us on the first call
We already have a contractor.
Good. This is a free second opinion on eligibility and scope, not a proposal. Plenty of our reports confirm the existing scope. Some don’t.
Is this a sales call?
No. It’s a records check. The report goes out either way. If the building doesn’t need anything, the report says that.
Our board meets in three weeks. Can you have something by then?
Yes. That’s why we quote 48 hours, not two weeks.
Who actually does the work?
Licensed contractors and licensed engineers. We coordinate intake and the records check. We don’t swing hammers.