Soils Reports and Reuse of Existing Foundations for Fire Re-Builds |
Below are important facts regarding the need for soils reports and the reuse of existing foundations for structures destroyed in the 2008 wildfires:
- A soils report is required for all fire rebuilds that meet the Planning Department’s “Soils Report Requirement Guidelines” (attached and available on line at: www.sccoplanning.com/pdf/env/soilsguidelines.pdf).
- If a prior soils report was prepared for the parcel, an update to the original report will be accepted. The update must meet the requirements of the 2007 California Building Code (CBC) and the County of Santa Cruz Planning Department.
- All foundations must meet the requirements of the 2007 CBC.
- Existing foundations must be removed prior to rebuilding, unless existing foundations are proposed to be used, in which case the following information must be submitted:
- Verification from the soils engineer that the foundations meet the requirements of the 2007 CBC and that the foundations have adequate bearing capacity to support the structure.
- A site-specific damage assessment that addresses the effects of intense heat on the foundation concrete, slabs, and reinforcing steel. This shall include coring / testing of the concrete as well as testing of the reinforcing steel. The testing agency must be listed on the County of Santa Cruz Planning Department’s list of approved Special Inspection Agencies (www.sccoplanning.com/pdf/bldg/specialinspectionagency.pdf).
Please note that all existing foundations that are cracked, distressed, or have significant settlement will be removed and replaced. |
