Los Angeles high rise accelerograph requirement?

Answer 1

Contributed by R. Merrill, Technical Director, AGB

1613.8 Earthquake recording instrumentation.

1613.8.1 Applicability. The requirements of this section

shall apply to buildings for which permits were issued after

July 1, 1965.

1613.8.2 General. Every new building over six stories in

height with an aggregate floor area of 60,000 square feet

(5574 m^) or more and every new building over ten stories in

height regardless of the floor area shall be equipped with at

least thi'ee approved recording accelerographs.

Exception: A building selected by the State of Califor-

nia as part of its Strong Motion Instrumentation Program

(Section 2700, Chapter 8, Division 2, California Public

Resources Code) need not comply with this section until

it ceases to be part of the program.

All new buildings that are designed using the nonlinear

response history procedure of "Seismic Response History

Procedures" in Chapter 16 of ASCE 7 shall be equipped

with a structural monitoring system in accordance with

standards established by the Superintendent of Building.

1613.8.3 Maintenance. Maintenance and service of the

instruments shall be provided by the owner of the building

subject to the approval of the Superintendent of Building.

Data produced by the instruments shall be made available to

the Superintendent of Building on request.

Maintenance and service of the instruments shall be per-

formed annually and shall be performed only by an

approved testing agency. The owner shall file with the

Department a written report from an approved testing

agency certifying that each instrument has been serviced

and is in proper working condition. This report shall be sub-

mitted when the instruments are installed and annually

thereafter. Each instrument shall have affixed to it an exter-

nally visible tag specifying the date of the last maintenance

or service and the printed name and address of the testing

agency performing the service.

1613.8.4 Location. For new buildings requiring

accelerographs per Section 1613.8.2, the instruments shall

be located in the basement, mid-height and near the top of

the building. Each instrument shall be located so that access

is maintained at all times and is unobstructed by room con-

tents. A sign stating "MAINTAIN CLEAR ACCESS TO

THIS INSTRUMENT" in 1-inch (25 mm) block letters

shall be posted in a conspicuous location at the instrument.

1613.8.5 Instrumentation of existing buildings. All own-

ers of existing structures selected by the Department shall

provide accessible space for the installation of appropriate

earthquake-recording instruments. Locations of the instru-

ments shall be determined by the engineer of record and

approved by the Department. The owners shall make

arrangements with the Department to provide, maintain and

service the instruments as required above. Data shall be the

property of the Department, but copies of individual records

shall be made available to the public on request with the

payment of an appropriate fee.

All legally existing instruments shall be maintained and

serviced in proper working condition. Each instrument shall

be maintained and serviced as specified by Section 1613.8.3

and shall be provided with a sign as required by Section

1613.8.4.