A while back, our architecture firm heard about a new law that was passed in California that is being called the “Condo Balcony Inspection Law.” It is also known as “Senate Bill 326” or simply “SB 326.” Most people in California would have no need to be aware of this new law—but you would if you happen to sit on the board of a condo association in California.
Condo associations in California are now responsible for inspecting the balconies and other “exterior elevated elements,” such as exterior staircases and elevated walkways, in their communities on a regular basis. The deadline for the first inspection is January 1, 2025—a date that is rapidly approaching!
In response to the new law, Grisafe Architecture has decided to offer balcony inspection services in Long Beach for condo associations to make sure they are in compliance with SB 326.
Grisafe Architecture is uniquely qualified to conduct these inspections. According to the law, only structural engineers and licensed architects are allowed to provide this service, and among those in Long Beach, very few have taken the time to understand the new law and how to create the necessary report that a condo association is required to file with the City of Long Beach. However, our team has invested the time to research SB 326 and has already conducted several balcony inspections in the area. Our staff is now very familiar with the entire process, including writing the mandatory inspection report.
At our Long Beach architecture firm, one of our strong suits has always been our attention to detail. We draft building plans that are carefully researched with regard to local building codes and present them to the city in the formats they prefer. We take the time to do things right the first time so our clients avoid delays down the road. We are taking the same approach with condo balcony inspections in Long Beach. We perform the balcony inspections according to the process described in SB 326 and create a report that includes all the required information.
As the deadline to have condo balconies inspected approaches, we will do our best to get to everyone in a timely manner, but we are encouraging condo associations to not wait until the last minute! We anticipate that our firm and the few other people who are offering this service in Long Beach will get very busy at the end of the year with urgent requests. We will do our best to get to everyone by the deadline, but completing the inspections and the reports takes a bit of time—so please don’t wait until the end of December to contact us!
To learn more about SB 326, visit our Service page, where we answer some frequently asked questions about the law. You can also feel free to contact our office to ask about our balcony inspection services or to schedule your inspection. We have a minimum charge of $3,000 per property, or $500 per balcony. Travel and mileage charges may be extra.
