SB326 Services Near Ventura, CA

SB 326 Overview

The state of CA has recently authorized into regulations a law that will call for organizations to carry out Deck Inspections once every nine years. The Deck Inspections will include Waterproofing factors and structural component evaluation. Deck Examinations needs to be performed by a certified architect or architectural expert. Balcony examinations have to do with structures which are timber based over six ft. in height and are equipped for foot visitors.

Why was SB 326 established in Ventura, CA?

SB 326 was written to be able to identify hazards to people pertaining to faltering architectural components in balconies. SB 326 states that multifamily associations with 3 or more dwellings must be inspected once every nine years. SB 326 only is applicable to condo associations. SB 326 has been set up to safeguard against balcony collapses. SB 326 went into effect January 2020. SB 326 was in fact put into place as a result of amount of balcony collapses in the state of California, that ended in deaths.

SB 721 Overview

SB 721 was put into legislation September of 2017. SB 721 involves Balcony Inspections being done on condominium buildings. There is a bigger array of who is able to carry out these inspections for SB 721. Contractors, architectural engineers, and architects have the ability to carry out Balcony Examinations for SB 721. Balconies must be inspected once every six years under SB 721. Only 15% of every outside raised component must be examined under SB 721.

Exterior Elevated Elements

External elevated elements also called EEEs are what should be inspected under a new state law - SB 326. Exterior elevated elements consist of wood based components above six ft in height that carry a load. Exterior elevated elements include balconies, decks, pathways, staircases, landings, and cat walks. All railings and staircase connections are also checked out and considered an exterior elevated element. External elevated elements are sometimes checked out using bore scopes, dampness meters, and infra-red digital cameras. External elevated elements should be evaluated for structural reliability and waterproofing integrity.

January 1st, 2025

All visual assessments per SB 326 needs to be done by the date of January 1, 2025.

January 1, 2025 will not be the due date for the repairs to be done. If inspections are not done by Jan 1, 2025, the state of California could demand a fine until compliance is met.

Waterproofing Elements

SB 326 demands waterproofing elements be examined on balconies. Waterproofing components comprise of a number of items. Waterproofing components are flashings, sealants, Door pans, deck, coatings, deck waterproofing, post penetration sealing ect. Waterproofing components are important to inspect. Architectural breakdown begins with unsuccessful waterproofing components. Waterproofing components fail, and moisture passes right through to the balcony framework, leading to dried out rot. Waterproofing components are usually recommended to get installed from a licensed specialized company that focuses on waterproofing elements.

Structural

Architectural reliability is crucial to trying to keep people safe on balconies. Architectural members include support joists, ledgers, sheeting, beams as well as other blocking. Architectural integrity is jeopardized when unintentional water vapors passed through the balconies waterproofing system and saturate the architectural members. Without adequate ventilation these structural members continue to be wet for an extensive length of time. From the structural elements retaining water, this weakens the wood and it can be compromised. Without architectural integrity the deck is unsafe for occupancy.

Balcony Law

In California, SB 326 is known as the Balcony legislation. The balcony law was created to always keep residents of multiple family associations, secure.

The balcony law targets condo, associations, and apartment complexes. The deck law was converted into a civil code section 5551 state law. The deck law relates itself to external raised elements. The deck legislation or SB 326 was written by senator Hill in the year 2018 after a deck collapse, in 2015, that resulted in deaths of university students.