Board members raised concerns about inconsistent or insufficient structural‑engineer reports accompanying demolition and certificate‑of‑appropriateness applications and asked staff to tighten submission requirements.

Rachel Berry, zoning official, confirmed the CA application checklist (Section 16.3 in current code) includes a “structural engineer’s analysis of structure.” Board members said reports they had reviewed sometimes lacked clarity about qualifications and whether the author was a certified structural engineer rather than a general professional engineer or unrelated discipline.

Board member Charlie Noble and others stressed that terms such as “termite damage” or photos of interior conditions are not equivalent to a structural analysis and that the board needs engineer certifications that specifically address structural integrity.

Several members proposed administrative fixes: require submission of the engineer’s license or a copy of the license, require the report to explicitly state structural findings (load‑bearing element conditions, ability to raise or repair, recommended remediation), and clarify that a state‑licensed structural engineer or engineer with structural specialty must sign and seal the report. Rachel Berry agreed staff would look into requiring a structural engineer certification specialty and revise the application materials to make the requirement explicit. She noted that the city could add clearer instructional language to the application without immediate code changes; a code change to Chapter 26 would be required only to change the statutory requirement itself.

Members discussed practical enforcement and tradeoffs: having the city retain its own structural engineer for verification was raised by a member who had seen homeowners hire engineers with personal connections. Staff said they would research licensing distinctions and implement administrative changes where feasible; if the board wants a code amendment, staff explained that would require the longer ordinance process.

The board gave staff consensus to pursue administrative changes to the application and clarified the board’s expectation that structural reports be specific to structural integrity and be signed and sealed by appropriately licensed professionals.

Provenance (transcript excerpts): the topic begins where the board asks if structural engineer reports are still required and staff confirms the requirement in Section 16.3; the discussion concludes with staff agreeing to verify licensing and to update application requirements.