Structural Engineers for Earthquake Retrofit

ABAG has compiled a list of engineers who have indicated to us that they have experience in retrofits of residential properties. We developed this list in cooperation with the Structural Engineer’s Association of Northern California. We recommend that you verify that an engineer has related experience and has appropriate licenses before selecting that person to design a retrofit for your building.

All owners of residential buildings of more than four units should contact an engineer or other design professional, not a contractor, to design a retrofit.

Some owners of single-family homes should call an engineer or other design professional, rather than a contractor. The following table lists examples of conditions best examined by an engineer.

When to Call an Engineer - Not Just a Contractor - About Your Home

[adapted from a paper by Tony DeMoscole by ABAG staff and ABAG's Housing Mitigation Review Committee]

  • your home has two or more stories
  • part of your home is supported by posts, not a wall
  • your foundation is brick or is "weak"
  • your home has an unusual shape, is very long and narrow, or is shaped like an "L"
  • your home is on a steep hill
  • your home has a two-car or larger garage with rooms above it, or is a "split-level"
  • your home has a porch that is recessed under a second story
  • your home is almost touching an adjacent home

To generate a custom list of engineers, please select a County and a Building Size, and then press Submit Query.

County  Building Size 

ABAG, the Association of Bay Area Governments, is the regional planning and services agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.