A401 General — 2025 California Existing Building Code

[BS] A401.1 Purpose. The purpose of this chapter is to promote public welfare and safety by reducing the risk of death or injury as a result of the effects of earthquakes on existing wood-frame, multiple-unit residential buildings. The ground motions of past earthquakes have caused the loss of human life, personal injury and property damage in these types of buildings. This chapter creates minimum standards to strengthen the more vulnerable portions of these structures. Where fully followed, these minimum standards will improve the performance of these buildings but will not necessarily prevent all earthquake-related damage.

[BS] A401.2 Scope. The provisions of this chapter apply to existing buildings of wood construction that contain residential occupancies and are assigned to Risk Category II, and where the structure has a soft, weak or open-front wall line, and there exists one or more stories above .