ABAG has compiled a list of engineers who have indicated to us that they have experience in retrofits of residential properties. We developed this list in cooperation with the Structural Engineer’s Association of Northern California.
To generate a custom list of engineers, please select a County and a Building Size, and press Submit.
We recommend that you verify that an engineer has related experience and has appropriate licenses before selecting that person to design a retrofit for your building. You can verify an engineer’s license through the Board for Professional Engineers.
All owners of residential buildings of more than four units should contact an engineer or other design professional, not a contractor, to design a retrofit.
Some owners of single-family homes should call an engineer or other design professional, rather than a contractor. The following table lists examples of conditions best examined by an engineer.
When to call an engineer about your home
Some owners of single-family homes should call an engineer or other design professional, rather than a contractor. The following are examples of conditions best examined by an engineer. (Adapted from a paper by Tony DeMoscole by ABAG staff and ABAG’s Housing Mitigation Review Committee)
- Your home has two or more stories
- Your home has more than four residential units
- Your home has an unusual shape, is very long and narrow, or is shaped like an “L”
- Your home has a two-car or larger garage with rooms above it, or is a “split-level” Your home has a porch that is recessed under a second story
- Your foundation is brick or is weak
- Your home is almost touching an adjacent home
- Your home has a two-car or larger garage with rooms above it, or is a “split-level”
- Your home is on a steep hill
- Part of your home is supported by posts, not a wall
If you are a licensed engineer experienced in residential seismic retrofits and wish to be added to this list, please email us at shaky@abag.ca.gov with your contact information, license number, and the Bay Area counties in which you work.
