IN THIS SECTION
PAGE
Completing the Commercial
Earthquake Risk Disclosure
Report.................................... 13
Identifying and Disclosing
Earthquake Risks.................... 14
Water Heaters ...........................14
Wall Anchorage.........................15
Unreinforced Masonry Walls .....16
Pre-1980 Concrete Buildings ....18
Steel-Frame Buildings ...............19
“Soft”-Story or
Open-Front Design ...................20
Exterior Cladding & Signage ....21
Other Structural &
Non-Structural Risks ..................22
You are not required to remove
siding, drywall, or plaster or to
hire an inspector to determine the
answer to a question. Also, you are
not required to x or retrot your
property before you sell.
Commercial Property
Earthquake Risks & the
Disclosure Report
Earthquakes in California can occur at any time and without
warning. To prevent injuries and avoid costly property damage,
property owners should determine the potential for earthquake
risks and then retrot or upgrade these conditions. If not
corrected, these risks can lead to:
• Severe property damage (foundation, oors, walls, windows)
• Broken utilities, leading to re, water damage, and spread
of toxins
• Personal injuries
• Loss of business contents and business interruption
Under State law, a seller of commercial property must give the
buyer a copy of this Guide “as soon as practical before the
transfer” if the property was built before 1975 and has precast
(tilt-up) concrete or masonry walls (reinforced or unreinforced)
and wood-frame oors or roof.
A seller also should provide a Commercial Property Earthquake
Risk Disclosure Report (page 13) for a building with any of the
following*: Precast (tilt-up) concrete or reinforced masonry
walls and wood-frame oors or roof (pre-1975); unreinforced
masonry; concrete buildings (pre-1980); “soft”- or weak-story
(open) design; steel-frame construction (pre-1995).
(See pages 15–20.)
To complete the report, answer each question to the best of
your knowledge. For questions 1–7, use “Yes” if the building is
protected from the risk imposed by earthquakes; use “No” if
the building—or a portion of the building—is at risk.
* The Seismic Safety Commission believes property owners of buildings of types that have
historically proven hazardous in earthquakes have a duty to inform foreseeable victims.
(The Right to Know: Disclosure of Seismic Hazards in Buildings, CSSC 92-03, 1992)
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