(Amended by Ord. No. 172,592, Eff. 6/28/99, Oper. 7/1/99.)
The purpose of this division is to promote public safety and welfare by reducing the risk of death or injury that may result from the effects of earthquakes on existing hillside buildings constructed on or into slopes in excess of one unit vertical in three units horizontal (33.3% slope). Such buildings have been recognized as life hazardous as a result of partial or complete collapse that occurred during the Northridge Earthquake.
The provisions of this division are minimum standards for structural systems established primarily to reduce the risk of loss of life or injury resulting from earthquakes and will not necessarily prevent loss of life or injury or prevent earthquake damage to an existing building which complies with these standards.
This division provides voluntary retrofit standards under which buildings shall be permitted to be structurally analyzed and retrofitted. When fully followed, these standards will strengthen the portion of the structure that is most vulnerable to earthquake damage.