Seismic Compliance and Safety

Program Overview#

Senate Bill 1953 (SB 1953) was introduced on February 25, 1994. It was signed into law on September 21, 1994, and filed by the Secretary of State on September 22, 1994. The bill was an amendment to and furtherance of the Alfred E. Alquist Hospital Seismic Safety Act of 1983 (Alquist Act). SB 1953 (Chapter 740, 1994), is now chaptered into statute in Sections 130000 through 130070 of the Alfred E. Alquist Hospital Facilities Seismic Safety Act, and part of the California Health and Safety Code. The regulations developed as a result of this statute are deemed to be emergency regulations and became effective upon approval by the California Building Standards Commission and filing with the Secretary of State on March 18, 1998. See an overview of the SB1953 Program.

The HCAI Office of Statewide Hospital Planning and Development (OSHPD) formed the Seismic Compliance Unit (SCU) after the passage of Senate Bill 1953 (SB 1953). This Unit is comprised of structural engineers and senior architects responsible for review and approval of the following submittals to OSHPD:

Click here to see Seismic Compliance SPC and NPC status and more for all facilities

• Compliance Plans
• Design criteria and approvals of voluntary seismic compliance projects
• HAZUS Reassessments
• Seismic Compliance Extensions
• Seismic Evaluation Reports (structural and non-structural)
• SPC-4D Regulations