Berkeley’s Earthquake Retrofit Rules: Which Apartments Must Be Strengthened, and Where Owners Can Seek Help

BERKELEY, Alameda County — October 22, 2026. An older apartment building with parking beneath the living space may have a soft first story. Berkeley requires certain owners to reinforce these buildings against earthquakes, but not every home or apartment falls under the same mandate. Residents can check the city’s building inventories and owners can explore retrofit funding without assuming a grant is automatically available.

Which soft-story buildings are covered?

The City of Berkeley’s Mandatory Retrofit Programs page identifies residential wood-frame buildings that have a soft, weak or open front (SWOF), contain five or more dwelling units and were permitted before 1978. These structures may have garages, parking or storefront openings beneath apartments. Berkeley also maintains a separate mandatory program for unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings.

What must an affected owner do?

According to the city, an owner of a covered SWOF building must notify prospective tenants about the hazard, obtain appropriate design and construction plans and permits, complete strengthening work and meet inspection requirements. The city maintains separate inventories of properties identified for its programs. An address missing from a search result is not a structural safety certificate: additions to the inventories can occur after permit applications, inquiries or staff review.

Can owners obtain assistance?

Different programs cover different types of buildings. The city’s seismic funding page describes grant and financing options. For some eligible owner-occupied single-family homes built before 2000 with living space over a garage, the Earthquake Soft-Story Retrofit program advertises reimbursement of up to 75% of costs, capped at $13,000. This is not the same program as Berkeley’s mandatory five-unit rule. Registration, funding availability, selection and approval are separate requirements.

The city’s Retrofit Grants Program describes assistance for eligible multifamily, commercial and mixed-use properties. Maximum amounts vary by structure type and work. Confirm that the particular funding round is open before committing to construction.

What renters and buyers should ask

Does the building appear on Berkeley’s current SWOF or URM inventories?
What retrofit work has the owner completed, and is there a final inspection?
Does a building permit or engineer’s report exist?
If an owner cites a grant, was funding actually awarded or only applied for?

Important: California58 has not inspected an individual structure and cannot determine earthquake safety from age or appearance alone. The city earthquake preparedness guide provides additional household safety steps. For editorial corrections contact Berkeley News.

Sources checked October 22, 2026: City of Berkeley Mandatory Earthquake Retrofit Programs; Funding for Seismic Retrofits; Retrofit Grants. No property-specific engineering conclusions are made.

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