SB326 Services Around Valencia, CA

SB 326 Overview

The state CA has signed into legislation a law designed to call for associations to perform Balcony Assessments once every 9 years. The Deck Examinations will incorporate Waterproofing components and architectural component assessment. Deck Inspections must be performed by an authorized architect or architectural expert. Balcony examinations relate to structures which are timber based over six ft. in height and are equipped for foot traffic.

Why was SB 326 established in Valencia, CA?

SB 326 has been written to be able to discover dangers to occupants associated with declining architectural elements in balconies. SB 326 claims that multifamily organizations with three or more dwellings have to be inspected once every nine years. SB 326 only pertains to condominium organizations. SB 326 has been put in place to guard against deck collapses. SB 326 went into effect January 2020. SB 326 was in fact put into place a result of the volume of deck collapses in the state of Ca, which often ended in fatalities.

SB 721 Overview

SB 721 was put into law September of 2017. SB 721 involves Balcony Inspections being done on condo properties. You will find a wider array of who are able to conduct these assessments for SB 721. Building contractors, architectural engineers, and architects can carry out Deck Assessments for SB 721. Balconies need to be inspected once every 6 years under SB 721. Only 15 Percent of each outside raised element needs to be examined under SB 721.

Exterior Elevated Elements

External elevated elements also known as EEEs are what should be examined under a new state law - SB 326. External elevated elements include wood based components above six feet in size that carry a load. External elevated elements consist of balconies, decks, pathways, staircases, landings, and cat walks. All railings and staircase contacts will also be looked over and deemed an exterior elevated element. External elevated elements are often inspected using bore scopes, dampness meters, and infrared digital cameras. Exterior elevated elements must be looked at for structural reliability and waterproofing integrity.

January 1st, 2025

All visual inspections per SB 326 should be done by the date of January 1, 2025.

January 1, 2025 is not the due date for all repairs to get completed. If inspections arn't performed by January 1, 2025, the state of California could impose a fee until compliance is met.

Waterproofing Elements

SB 326 demands waterproofing elements be inspected on balconies. Waterproofing elements comprise of a number of things. Waterproofing components are flashings, sealants, Door pans, outdoor patios, coatings, deck waterproofing, post penetration sealing ect. Waterproofing elements are important to examine. Architectural failure starts off with failed waterproofing components. Waterproofing components fall short, and humidity moves to the balcony structure, triggering dried out decay. Waterproofing components are always advised to get installed by a certified specialized business that focuses on waterproofing elements.

Structural

Structural integrity is essential to trying to keep occupants safe on balconies. Architectural components include support joists, ledgers, sheeting, beams along with other blocking. Structural integrity is jeopardized when unintended water vapors transferred through the balconies waterproofing system and saturate the architectural members. With out adequate air-flow these architectural components stay wet for an prolonged period of time. With the structural components keeping water, this weakens the wood and it is un-safe. With out structural integrity the balcony is hazardous for occupancy.

Balcony Law

In the state of California, SB 326 is referred to as the Balcony law. The deck law was created to always keep occupants of multi family organizations, secure.

The balcony legislation concentrates on condominium, associations, and apartment properties. The deck law was turned into a civil code section 5551 state law. The deck legislation relates itself to outside elevated elements. The deck law or SB 326 was written by senator Hill in the year 2018 after having a balcony failure, in 2015, that resulted in deaths of college students.