Unreinforced Masonry Buildings - Background

Background

Background on URM Program Development

• URM Building Owners Infographic
• Commercial tenants in a URM building infographic
• Residential tenants in a URM building infographic

Identifying URMs

• Identifying URM Buildings
• URM Identification Survey & Methodology (2012)
• URM List Validation- Report to Policy Committee (2016)

     Statewide URM Identification

• • Statewide URM Survey
  • Statewide URM Dashboard (Data Viewer)

Guiding legislation

• 2021 Seattle Existing Building Code, adopted November 15, 2024; Defines minimum standards for URM buildings to be recognized as “Retrofitted” in the City’s URM database and codifies the Alternate Method for the Seismic Improvement of URMs.
• Joint Resolution 32111
  • Passed in 2023; Guides voluntary URM retrofits using a reduced retrofit standard.
• Legacy: Director’s Rule 6-2023 allowed use of the Draft URM Retrofit Standard in advance of the adoption of the 2021 Seattle Existing Building Code. 
• Joint Resolution 32033
  • Passed in 2021; Directs the development of a mandatory seismic retrofit program for URMs in Seattle.
• Resilient Washington: Final Report and Recommendations (2012)

Related News -  Building Connections Articles

• 2024
  • August: SDCI is Preparing for and Reducing Vulnerability to Earthquakes 
  • May: Building Safety Month and Improving Earthquake Readiness
  • February: City Seeks Feedback on Funding Option to Protect Buildings During an Earthquake
• 2023
  • December: Seattle URMs- 2023 in Review
  • October: Major Milestone in URM Earthquake Retrofits
  • July: Fixing the Bricks: Director’s Rule Proposes Alternate Method for Retrofit of URM Buildings
  • June: Fixing the Bricks: Upcoming Presentations of Proposed Minimum Seismic Standards for URM Buildings
  • February: Building Momentum to Fix the Bricks- Working Groups Established to Support Mandatory URM Retrofit Ordinance

URM Briefings to City Council and Committees

• 2024
  • August 7, 2024 Land Use Committee Briefing
  • May 15, 2024 Land Use Committee Briefing
• 2023
  • September 26, 2023 Public Safety and Human Services Committee
  • April 11, 2023 Public Safety and Human Services Committee
• 2022
  • December 12, 2022 Public Safety and Human Services Committee

Seattle Channel

• City Inside/Out: Quake Quandary (2017)

URM Retrofit Technical Standard Development

Below are links to policy recommendation documents regarding the development of a minimum retrofit standard for URM buildings. Current information on the URM Retrofit Technical Standard is in the above “Guiding Legislation” section and on the Projects Documents page.

• URM Technical Committee Final Report and Draft Retrofit Standard (2012)
• URM Technical Committee Report (2010)
• URM Seismic Hazards Study (2007 Reid Middleton)