Calif. governor signs limited extension to hospital seismic retrofit mandate

Some California hospitals will have three additional years to comply with the state’s seismic retrofit mandate, after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill extending the 2030 deadline.

The bill allows small, rural, or “distressed” hospitals to apply for an extension of up to three years to shore up their buildings to remain operational after a major earthquake. More than half of California’s 410 hospitals have at least one building that probably wouldn’t be able to operate after a major earthquake hit their region, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times. Many of these institutions claim that they don’t have the money to meet the 2030 deadline.

According to the Times, 674 buildings within 251 hospitals do not meet the standards that require hospital facilities to remain functional following a major earthquake. A 2019 study estimated the cost of meeting the 2030 standards at $34 billion to $143 billion statewide.

Eligible hospitals can now seek a three-year extension if they submit a seismic compliance plan and identify milestones for implementing it.