Project Overview
- Service Type
- Structural Repair
- Location
- San Francisco, CA (SoMa)
- Property Type
- Apartment building (24 units, built 1926)
- Timeline
- 2-day inspection · 9 working days repair
- Completed
- May 2026
Project at a Glance
The Problem
The owner of a 24-unit SoMa building believed the property was covered. An SB 721 inspection had been completed in 2024 and the report was on file — but SB 721 does not touch metal, and this building's secondary means of egress is three riveted steel fire escapes from 1926. No Section 604 affidavit had ever been filed, and the April 2022 deadline was four years behind them.
Our walk of the exterior found what a wood-only report could not: section loss at the bolted landing brackets on two fire escapes, corrosion blistering under decades of paint, and a drop ladder frozen in place. On the wood side, eighteen balconies were structurally sound, but three showed staining at the ledger line where flashing had been painted over.
Section 604 is a San Francisco Housing Code ordinance, not a state law. It requires 100% of exterior elevated elements to be inspected — wood and metal, with no minimum height — every five years, and it demands its own affidavit. Compliance with SB 721 does not substitute for it. Our SF Section 604 inspection service covers the inspection, the report, and the affidavit prepared for SFDBI.
The Solution
We inspected every elevated element on the building across two days: all eighteen balconies, three fire escapes with their landings and drop ladders, the rear stair, and the exterior corridor guards. Metal received hammer sounding, coating-thickness checks, and fastener extraction at the landing connections; wood received moisture readings and a borescope opening at each stained ledger.
Two landings could not be preserved. We fabricated and installed replacement steel with hot-dip galvanized components and epoxy-set anchors, freed and rebuilt the drop ladder, and recoated all three assemblies with a zinc-rich primer system. Three balcony ledgers received new sheet-metal flashing. The affidavit went to SFDBI the week the work closed out.
- 100% Section 604 inspection of wood and metal elements
- Fire escape load assessment & fastener testing
- Structural steel landing replacement (2 assemblies)
- Corrosion remediation & zinc-rich coating system
- Balcony ledger flashing replacement
- Section 604 affidavit prepared and filed with SFDBI
How the Project Ran
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Scope walk & quote (Day 0)
A site walk to count elements and confirm access, then a fixed quote for the inspection and the affidavit within 24 hours — no lift required thanks to the rear light well.
-
100% inspection (Days 1–2)
Every balcony, corridor guard, stair, landing and fire escape examined, photographed and condition-rated; fasteners extracted at six landing brackets; moisture readings on all eighteen balconies.
-
Report & repair scope (Week 2)
A written report with photographs and priority ratings, plus a fixed repair proposal covering only the items that would prevent a clean affidavit.
-
Repairs & affidavit (9 working days)
Two landings rebuilt, coatings applied, ledger flashing replaced — then the signed affidavit submitted to SFDBI Housing Inspection Services and a copy delivered to the owner for the five-year file.
Materials Used
- Hot-dip galvanized structural steel replacement landing framing and brackets
- Zinc-rich primer & industrial topcoat three-coat corrosion system for all metal
- Epoxy-set anchors masonry connections at the rebuilt landings
- Sheet-metal flashing balcony ledger and door threshold details
Before & After
Section 604 affidavit filed with SFDBI — the building's five-year cycle now runs from May 2026.
We thought the 2024 report had us covered. ABD found three fire escapes nobody had inspected since I've owned the building, fixed what needed fixing, and filed the paperwork. I finally know what my next deadline is.
Questions About This Project
We already passed SB 721. Why did we still need this?
SB 721 covers wood-framed elements more than six feet above grade. Section 604 covers everything elevated on the building — including metal fire escapes and guards — with no height threshold, and requires its own affidavit filed with SFDBI. One does not satisfy the other.
The 2022 deadline is long gone. What happens now?
SFDBI can assess daily civil penalties and record liens that stall a sale or a refinance. The practical fix is the same either way: inspect, correct what needs correcting, and file. Once the affidavit is on record, the five-year clock starts from that date.
Did tenants lose access to the fire escapes?
One assembly at a time was taken out of service, with the building's remaining egress routes documented and the sequence agreed with the on-site manager. No unit was ever left without a compliant means of egress.
