Oakland "Soft Story" Buildings
Is your home vulnerable during an earthquake?
Over a thousand residential structures in Oakland have been designated potential soft-story buildings. Soft-story buildings are buildings with unsupported first floors, including garages, or commercial establishments with many large windows.
Do you live in one of these buildings? Enter your address below to find out.
What is a "soft story building?"
A soft story building is an apartment building of three or more stories located over a ground level with large openings, such as a parking garage or series of retail businesses with large windows.
Why should I care?
Soft story buildings are vulnerable to collapse in a moderate to severe earthquake. Per a survey conducted by the Association of Bay Area Governments, there are currently about 1,000 addresses in Oakland are classified as soft story buildings. These effect roughly 1 in every 10 rental units.