City of Seattle’s URM Policy – October 2023 Update

The Seattle Department of Construction and Inspection (SDCI) published the blog post (below) about the current status of the URM ordinance and the next steps. The City published the Director’s Rule 6-2023 this summer, which establishes an alternate method of voluntary retrofit for URM buildings. The Director’s Rule references a new technical standard that SSF leaders Greg Coons and Francesca Renouard and other structural engineers helped the City develop.

Next steps include the City Council passing a steppingstone “Voluntary Retrofit” ordinance in the spring/summer of 2024, which would legally establish the technical standard as a new compliance standard. From there, the City is hopeful to pass the “Mandatory Retrofit” ordinance sometime in 2025.

Read the complete article: Major Milestone in URM Eearthquake Retrofits – SDCI, 10.3.23

Please reach out to Greg Coons, Francesca Renouard, or Dan Say if you have any questions about the ordinance!