SECTION 401 – GENERAL

401.1.3  Add the following section:

401.1.3  General.  Buildings, structures and property to which additions, alterations or repairs are made shall comply with all the requirements of this code for new facilities, except as specifically provided in this section, in the San Francisco Housing Code and in other applicable ordinances and regulations. See Section 401.6 for provisions requiring installation of smoke detectors in existing Group R, Division 3 Occupancies.

(Amended by Ord. 65-19, File No. 190136, App. 4/12/2019, Eff. 5/13/2019)

401.6  Add the following section:

401.6  Additions, alterations or repairs to Group R Occupancies.  When the valuation of an addition, alteration or repair to a Group R Occupancy exceeds $1,000 and a permit is required, or when one or more sleeping rooms are added or created in existing Group R Occupancies, smoke alarms shall be installed in accordance with San Francisco Building Code Section 907.

   EXCEPTION:  Repairs to the exterior surfaces of a Group R Occupancy are exempt from the requirements of this section.

401.7  Add the following section:

401.7  Homeless Shelters.  Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, any addition, alteration, repair, installation, change or reconstruction of any building or structure, which is made in order to initiate, expand or continue a facility which, as approved by an authorized government agency, shelters otherwise homeless persons and which is operated by an organization exempt from federal income tax under Internal Revenue Code Sections 501(c)(3) or 501(d), shall meet only those requirements of this code which are determined by the Building Official, pursuant to rules and regulations adopted by the Building Official in accordance with San Francisco Building Code Section 104A.1, after consultation with the Fire Department, to be necessary or appropriate to prevent a life hazard, or to prevent the building or structure from being or becoming substandard. With respect to minimum lateral force requirements, said bulletin shall not waive any requirement which can be satisfied by work eligible to receive financial assistance from the State of California. Any provisions waived by said bulletin shall be applied when homeless shelter use ceases and may be applied when homeless shelter use is reduced.

401.8  Add the following section:

401.8  Fire alarm systems.  For all buildings that are required to have a fire alarm system under this Code, the Fire Code, the Housing Code, or any other law, the building owner shall upgrade the fire alarm system, if necessary, to comply with the sound level requirement for sleeping areas set forth in Section 18.4.5.1 of NFPA 72 (2013 edition), as amended from time to time, upon either (a) completion of work under a building permit with a cost of construction of $50,000 or more, (b) July 1, 2021, or (c) for buildings sold or transferred after September 1, 2017, twelve months after the sale of the property, whichever occurs first.

   Exception. Subsection 401.8(a) shall not apply to mandatory seismic strengthening alterations being performed pursuant to Chapter 4D of this Code, or to transient Hotels within the Residential Group R-1 Occupancy Classification of Section 310.3 of the Building Code.

(Amended by Ord. 233-17, File No. 170870, App. 12/8/2017, Eff. 1/7/2018)

401.9  Add the following section:

401.9  Open, accessible attics.  When performing additions, alterations, or repairs in Group 3 R occupancies of six units or more under a building permit with a cost of construction of $50,000 or more, fire blocks, draftstops, or fire safing insulation (approved noncombustible material used as a fire barrier) shall be installed in open attics of 30 inches in height or greater that are accessible from other than an occupied residential unit.

   Exception.  This requirement shall not apply to mandatory seismic strengthening alterations being performed pursuant to Chapter 4D of this Code.