Government-Mandated Inspections

MCA is both qualified and experienced in providing SB 721 and 326 inspections.
In 2018, in response to a tragic balcony collapse in Berkeley, the California State Senate passed SB 721, which requires that apartment buildings with three (3) or more multifamily dwelling units have their exterior elevated elements inspected every six (6) years. The following year, SB 326 was passed. SB 326 applies to condominiums and requires an inspection of balconies and decks every nine (9) years. Over four million housing units in the State of California will be subject to one of the bills.
An exterior elevated element, also known as an EEE, is any wood-framed structure designed for human use, that extends beyond the exterior walls of the building, and has a walking surface six (6) or more feet above ground level.
All inspections must be performed no later than January 1, 2025. There will be a very large demand for inspections as the deadline approaches, so MCA recommends that apartment buildings and condominiums start the inspection process as early as possible.
While these bills are new, MCA has been inspecting decks and balconies for decades through our remedial architecture projects.

Also following the balcony collapse, the 2019 California Building Code now requires inspections of the waterproofing installation at the exterior elevated elements. Many municipalities are now requiring special inspections for these items. MCA is a Certified Special Inspector for these exterior elevated elements waterproofing in several cities and jurisdictions.

Per the Construction Specifications Institute, “masonry falls off a building facade somewhere in the United States about every three weeks. Over the past few years in the United States, at least 49 such masonry failures have killed 30 persons and injured 81.” Due to these accidental deaths, many cities have begun enacting ordinances to mitigate the danger of falling pieces from buildings. In 2016, the City of San Francisco passed an ordinance that requires regular inspections of high-rise building facades. MCA is both qualified and experienced in performing facade inspections, and while this is a new requirement MCA has been surveying and inspecting facades for decades.