sfbay604inspection

1. ABOUT SECTION 604

On September 17, 2003, the Board of Supervisors passed Ordinance # 192-02 which added Section 604 to the San Francisco Housing Code. The pertinent part of the Code Section is provided below for your reference

Section. 604. Structural Maintenance: (a) Affidavit Required. All woods and metal decks, balconies, landings, exit corridors, stairway systems, guard rails, handrails, fire escapes, or any part thereof in weather-exposed areas of apartment buildings and hotels shall be inspected by a licensed general contractor, or a structural pest control licensee, or a licensed professional architect or engineer, verifying that the exit system, corridor, balcony, deck or any part thereof is in general safe condition, in adequate working order, and free from hazardous dry rot, fungus, deterioration, decay, or improper alteration. Property owners shall provide proof of compliance with this section by submitting an affidavit form (provided by the Department) signed by the responsible inspector to the Housing Inspection Services Division every five years. For purposes of this section, weather-exposed areas mean those areas which are not interior building areas.

San Francisco Housing Code Requirements: : Section 604 requires apartment house (including residential condominium buildings of 3 dwellings or more) and hotel (6 guest rooms or more) owners to have all building appendages to be inspected by a licensed general contractor, or structural pest control licensee, or licensed professional architect or engineer, verifying that the exit system, corridor, balcony, deck, or any part thereof (that exists within the subject building as identified above) is in general safe condition, in adequate working order, and free from hazardous dry rot, fungus, deterioration, decay, or improper alteration. Appendages are described as all wood and metal decks, balconies, landings, exit corridors, stairway systems, guardrails, handrails, fire escapes, or any parts thereof in weather-exposed areas (excluding interior building areas).

Note for Residential Condominiums: Note for Residential Condominiums: The San Francisco Housing Code defines residential condominiums (of three dwellings or more) to be apartment houses and therefore subject to this requirement. Residential condominium owners should have their home owner's association complete the enclosed affidavit if the building appendages described above are in the common or public areas of the building. If they are not part of the common area, but related to a specific dwelling/condo, then that residential condominium owner must complete the affidavit and return it to the Department of Building Inspection per the instructions indicated below.

Code Enforcement for Failure to File: Code enforcement proceedings are required by the San Francisco Housing Code and will be initiated against those property owners who do not file completed and signed affidavits to the Dept. of Building Inspection. If you have any questions or need clarification on this matter, please call the Housing Inspection Service Division at (415) 558-6220.

2. CCI 604 INSPECTION SCOPE:

Pat Connolly Construction, performs only a visual inspection of the property, examining for rot and rusty conditions. We cannot offer conclusive affirmation of unseen structural conditions.

3. UNSAFE CONDITIONS DISCOVERED THROUGH REPAIRS:

If any additional conditions of dry rot, fungus, deterioration, decay, are discovered during the course of repairs they must also be addressed by the owner or repair contractor.

4. FAILING STRUCTURAL CONDITIONS:

If potentially unsafe structural conditions are noticed, we will recommend seeking the expertise of a structural engineer for further investigation, and/or testing. If unsafe structural conditions do not exist, we will not be qualified to perform a re-inspection of the property, the structural engineer will need to sign off on the affidavit required by SFDBI.

5. REFERENCE PHOTOS:

These are photos of observations made by the inspector during the inspection that may require attention, but are outside of the section 604 code and do not need to be addressed to pass the property.

Are you in compliance? Go to the SFDBI to find out

Oakland Fire Code 1104.16.5.1 Examination

Fire escape stairways and balconies need to be examined for structural adequacy and safety in accordance with Section 1104.16.5.1 every 5 years.

Click or scan for more information:

/

Deck Safety from DBI Website

Decks provide enjoyment for thousands of property owners throughout San Francisco. Many owners, however, neglect to do regular, annual inspections to assure the continued safety of these decks for use by their family and friends. Past collapses of exterior decks or failed railings, have resulted in injury and the tragic loss of life, and are an urgent reminder for increased public awareness in the regular maintenance of building attachments. Exterior decks, stairs, balconies, porches or other attachments to buildings should be routinely inspected by licensed professionals to assure their safety. The Department of Building Inspection requires owners of apartment buildings and hotels with exterior decks and attachments to have a licensed structural pest control operator, licensed general contractor, architect or engineer inspect your deck, porch, stairs, balcony or other attachments, every 5 years to assure their continued stability and safety

SAN FRANCISCO HOUSING CODE SEC. 604.

STRUCTURAL MAINTENANCE.

(a) Affidavit Required. All wood and metal decks, balconies, landings, exit corridors, stairway systems, guard rails, handrails, fire escapes, or any parts thereof in weather-exposed areas of apartment buildings and hotels shall be inspected by a licensed general contractor, or a structural pest control licensee, or a licensed professional architect or engineer, verifying that the exit system, corridor, balcony, deck or any part thereof is in general safe condition, in adequate working order, and free from hazardous dry rot, fungus, deterioration, decay, or improper alteration. Property owners shall provide proof of compliance with this section by submitting an affidavit form (provided by the Department) signed by the responsible inspector to the Housing Inspection Services Division every five years. For purposes of this section, weather-exposed areas means those areas which are not interior building areas.

Owners of apartment buildings and hotels shall provide proof of compliance with this Section by submitting the Compliance Affidavit, with verification (if applicable) completed and signed by the licensed professional who inspected the subject building, to the: San Francisco Department of Building Inspection Housing Inspection Services Division Attn: Section 604 H.C. Affidavit Filing 49 South Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor San Francisco, CA 94103. Code enforcement proceedings as required by the San Francisco Housing Code will be initiated against those property owners who do not file completed and signed affidavits to the Department of Building Inspection.

Helpful Links

INFORMATION SHEET

INSPECTION OF RESIDENTIAL BALCONIES AND DECKS

COMPLIANCE AFFIDAVIT SEC. 604

DECK SAFETY FAQ

Important Notes

RUST DETERIORATION REPAIRS

If the rusted fastener or member has severe corrosion, if portions of the original metal are missing the rusted pieces should be removed and replaced with hot-dipped galvanized metal. Regardless of which method of rust prevention you choose, proper preparation is the key to success. Approximately 80% of all paint failures are due to improper surface preparation so this step should not be overlooked unless you want to keep doing this over and over.

Rust Removal: The surface must be cleaned of all loose and flaking rust and paint.

Wire Brushing, Sanding: Use a hand brush or a wire wheel brush and drill. Normally a few quick passes will remove the loose material. If the surface is to be finished in a smooth painted finish then the wire brushing should be followed up with a complete sanding until it is smooth and free of defects. Normally a rough sanding with 80 grit sandpaper followed by a smooth sanding with 120 grit does an adequate job. Holes, cracks, etc should be filled first with an auto body filler material if you are going for a top-quality finish. Wrought iron handrails, lawn and garden equipment, etc normally do not require a really fine finish whereas a bicycle, patio table, metal door and the like would.

: Acid or strong alkaline materials dissolve rust. These products work well but must be used with extreme caution due to their chemical nature of the products, they are ideal for large areas like metal roofs and buildings.

Rust Conversion:: Organic Rust Converters. These products convert rust to harmless chemical compounds and deposit on the surface a protective film that protects against rust. Pros...No serious wire brushing or sanding is required, these products actually need a rusty surface in order for them to work properly. Water Base, Easy to apply, non-flammable. Rust Converters are ideal for ornamental iron and other areas where wire brushing and sanding is difficult or the surface is not easily accessible. They not only convert existing rust to an inert organic surface but also deposit a rust-inhibiting polymer on the surface which does not require finish paints or coatings, this is the ideal treatment for ease of use with the minimum surface prep required. Cons...The downside to rust converters is they are thicker than normal coatings and tend to leave a high build, rather "ropey" looking finish (looks like painted wood with a lot of brush marks). This would be a problem on wrought iron or any other surface where a super smooth finish is desired.

Cleaning: Next, the surface must be cleaned and degreased, paints and coatings do not bond well to dirty or greasy surfaces. Washing with a strong detergent followed by a thorough rinsing is required. The light "flash rust" that appears after washing can be removed with a cloth dampened with paint thinner or one of the commercial "surface prep". Painted items should be primed with an ALKYD or ZINC RICH INHIBITING PRIMER and finished with two coats of quality exterior enamel. Spraying is quite acceptable but I strongly recommend that the primer be brushed or sprayed and worked into the surface with a brush while still wet. Spray painting alone will not get the paint down into tiny pinholes and crevices but will only "bridge" these areas resulting in failure as the moisture and oxygen will attack the exposed steel. Summary: For painted finished, prep, apply rust converter, or metal primer and two coats of rust preventive paint.