Senate Bill 326 required the first inspection of exterior elevated elements on California condo associations by January 1, 2025. Senate Bill 721 required the first inspection on apartment buildings by January 1, 2026. If your property has not completed the inspection, the compliance clock is already running against you.
Both SB 326 and SB 721 apply to buildings with three or more units and to exterior elevated elements more than six feet off the ground — balconies, decks, walkways, stairways, and railings supported substantially by wood. What differs is who owns the building and how often the inspection repeats.
Sources: Civil Code §5551 (SB 326), Health & Safety Code §17973 (SB 721), Assembly Bill 2579 (2024), Davis-Stirling.com (2025).
You are not stuck. What you are is exposed. The first move is a documented inspection by a licensed professional, followed by a written report your board or ownership entity can enter into the reserve study. That report resets the compliance clock and puts you back in a defensible position before enforcement, an insurance claim, or a unit sale forces the issue.
Wood-framed elevated elements in coastal Southern California age quickly. Water finds a way through flashings, sleepers rot from below, and steel connectors corrode long before the finish surface tells you anything is wrong.
The visual inspection itself is a modest cost for most properties. The real financial exposure comes when the inspector finds a condition that requires invasive testing, when a deficiency triggers a repair, or when the report finds an immediate life-safety threat that must be reported to local code enforcement within 15 days.
The proposal covers the visual inspection. It does not cover invasive testing, the repair permit and drawings, or the actual construction. A $6,000 inspection can turn into a $150,000+ repair project once concealed damage is opened up. Reserve-study planning is where boards get ahead of that number.
The right architect does not just perform the inspection. They protect the board or owner across six specific moments — from initial scope through permit and closeout.
Element counts, sampling method, invasive-testing budget, and immediate-threat protocol written into the proposal before anyone climbs a ladder.
Written report with photos, element-by-element condition ratings, and the specific SB 326 / SB 721 language required by the reserve study and the code enforcement filing.
Plain-English translation of what the report means, what has to be repaired within 120 days, what can be planned into the reserve study, and what the insurance implications are.
Repair drawings, specifications, and structural coordination that let three qualified contractors bid to the same scope — so bids are actually comparable.
Corrections, resubmittals, and coordination with the local building department. This is where amateur permit packages die and boards lose months.
Site observation during framing and waterproofing, RFI responses, and the closeout package the board files with the completed inspection cycle.
Written scope, licensed-professional pricing, and an honest description of what happens if concealed damage is found. No sales calls.
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