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101A.1 Title. These regulations shall be known as the “2016 San Francisco Building Code,” may be cited as such and will be referred to herein as “this code.” The 2016 San Francisco Building Code amends the 2016 California Building Code and the 2016 California Residential Code which is Part 2 & 2.5 respectively of the 12 parts of the official compilation and publication of the adoption amendment and repeal of the building regulations to the California Code of Regulations, Title 24, also referred to as the California Building Standards Code. The California Building Code and California Residential Code incorporates by adoption the 2015 International Building Code and 2015 International Residential Code respectively of the International Code Council with necessary California amendments.
101A.2 Purpose. The purpose of this code is to establish the minimum requirements to safeguard the public health, safety and general welfare through structural strength, means of egress facilities, stability, access to persons with disabilities, sanitation, adequate lighting and ventilation and energy conservation, and safety to life and property from fire and other hazards attributed to the built environment; to regulate and control the demolition of all buildings and structures, and the quarrying, grading, excavation, and filling of land; and to provide safety to fire fighters and emergency responders during emergency operations.
The further purpose of this code is to ensure that barrier-free design is incorporated in all buildings, facilities, site work and other developments to which this code applies and to ensure that they are accessible to and usable by persons with disabilities.
101A.3 Scope. The provisions of this code shall apply to the construction, alteration, movement, enlargement, replacement, repair, equipment, use and occupancy, location, maintenance, removal and demolition of every building or structure or any appurtenances connected or attached to such buildings or structures.
101A.3.1 Non-state-regulated buildings, structures and applications. Except as modified by local ordinance pursuant to Section 1.1.8, the following standards in the California Code of Regulations, Title 24, Parts 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, and 11 shall apply to all occupancies and applications not regulated by a state agency.
101A.4 Effective Date of this code.
101A.4.1 Only those standards approved by the California Building Standards Commission and code amendments, additions or deletions adopted by the City and County of San Francisco that are effective at the time an application for building permit is deemed acceptable for building plan review by the Department of Building Inspection shall apply to the plans and specifications for, and to the construction performed under, that permit. For the effective dates of the provisions contained in this code, see History Notes page of this code.
101A.4.2 Appendices. Provisions contained in the appendices of this code shall not apply unless specifically adopted by a state agency or adopted by a local enforcing agency in compliance with Health and Safety Code Section 18901 et seq. for Building Standards Law, Health and Safety Code Section 17950 for State Housing Law and Health and Safety Code Section 13869.7 for Fire Protection Districts.
101A.5 Validity. If any chapter section, subsection, sentence, clause or phrase of this code is for any reason held to be unconstitutional, contrary to statute, exceeding the authority of the state as stipulated by statutes, or otherwise inoperative, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portion of this code.
101A.6 Reference Documents. The codes, standards and publications adopted and set forth in this code, including other codes, standards and publications referred to therein are, by title and date of publication, hereby adopted as standard reference documents of this code.
When this code does not specifically cover any subject relating to building design and construction, recognized architectural or engineering practices shall be employed. The National Fire Codes and Fire Protection Handbook of the National Fire Protection Association are permitted to be used as authoritative guides in determining recognized fire-prevention engineering practices.
In the event of any differences between these building standards and the standard reference documents, the text of these building standards shall govern.
101A.7 Order of Precedence.
101A.7.1 Specific provisions. Where a specific provision varies from a general provision, the specific provision shall apply.
101A.7.2 Conflicts. When the requirements of this code conflict with the requirements of any other part of the California Building Standards Code, Title 24, any provision contained elsewhere in the San Francisco Municipal Code, or any regulation or requirement adopted by the Public Utilities Commission or other City agency under its Charter authority, the most restrictive requirement shall prevail.
101A.7.3 Fire codes. Nothing in these building standards shall diminish the requirements of the state fire marshal.
Sections 101A.8 – 101A.19 are reserved.
101A.20 Central Permit Bureau. A Central Permit Bureau is hereby established in the Department of Building Inspection. The Central Permit Bureau shall process applications for permits required in Section 106A.1 of this code and for certain other permits required by ordinance or regulation for other departments and bureaus of the City and County of San Francisco. Permit processing procedures are detailed in an Administrative Bulletin issued by the Building Official in cooperation with other departments and bureaus. The Central Permit Bureau shall arrange for the review of permit applications, the issuance of permits and the collection of fees as fixed by law.
The fees collected by the Central Permit Bureau shall be credited to the account of the department or bureau authorized by ordinance or Charter to approve such permits. The Controller, in conjunction with the Central Permit Bureau and the concerned departments and bureaus, shall analyze the cost to the City and County of San Francisco of regulation and inspection required by each such class of permit and shall propose the rates to be fixed therefor by ordinance, which shall not be less than the cost to the City and County of San Francisco of such regulation and inspection.
101A.21 Safety Assessment Placards. This section establishes standard placards to be used to indicate the condition of a building or structure after a natural or human-created disaster. A description of the placards to be used is set forth in this Section. The Building Official and their authorized representatives are authorized to post the appropriate placard at each entry point to a building or structure upon completion of a safety assessment. A safety assessment is a visual, nondestructive examination of a building or structure for the purpose of determining the condition for continued occupancy.
101A.21.1 Application of provisions. The provisions of this section are applicable to all buildings and structures of all occupancies regulated by the City and County of San Francisco.
101A.21.2 Description of placards. The Department of Building Inspection shall use the form of standard placards that the Applied Technology Council has recommended and revises from time to time. The actual placards shall be in a form that the Building Official approves. In addition, the ordinance number, the name of the department, its address, and phone number shall be permanently affixed to each placard. In addition, each placard shall include the following language or its equivalent as determined by the Building Official: Any unauthorized removal, alteration, or covering of this placard shall be considered a violation of the San Francisco Building Code and the responsible person(s) shall be subject to applicable penalties set forth in the code. A general description of the placards is as follows:
1. INSPECTED – LAWFUL OCCUPANCY PERMITTED. This placard is to be posted on any building or structure where no apparent structural hazard has been found. This placard is not intended to mean that there is no damage to the building or structure.
2. RESTRICTED USE. This placard is to be posted on each building or structure that is damaged to such an extent that restrictions on continued occupancy are required. The person or persons authorized to post this placard will note in general terms the type of damage encountered and will note with specificity any restrictions on continued occupancy.
3. UNSAFE – DO NOT ENTER OR OCCUPY. This placard is to be posted on each building or structure that is damaged to such an extent that continued occupancy poses a threat to life safety. Buildings or structures posted with this placard shall not be entered under any circumstance except as authorized in writing by the Building Official of Building Inspection or his or her authorized representative. Authorized safety assessment individuals or teams may enter these buildings at any time. This placard is not to be used or considered to be a demolition order. The person or persons authorized to post this placard will note in general terms the type of damage encountered.
101A.21.3 Removal or alteration prohibited. Once it has been attached to a building or structure, a placard is not to be removed, altered, or covered except by an authorized representative of the Department or upon written notification from the Department. Any unauthorized removal, alteration, or covering of a placard shall be considered a violation of this code and the responsible person(s) shall be subject to the penalties set forth herein.