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Commission backs ordinance requiring fire-safety disclosures in multiunit buildings
Summary
The Building Inspection Commission voted unanimously June 15 to support a Board of Supervisors ordinance (File No. 150792) that would require owners of buildings with three or more units to provide tenants annual fire‑safety disclosures and post evacuation maps; the measure also mandates annual training in larger buildings.
San Francisco — The Building Inspection Commission on June 15 voted unanimously to support a Board of Supervisors ordinance that would require owners and homeowners associations of multiunit buildings to give tenants annual fire‑safety disclosures and to post evacuation maps in common areas.
Supervisor Katie Tang, who presented the substituted ordinance to the commission, said the measure ‘‘would require that if you are in a building with 3 or more units, that every year there would be, a disclosure provided to tenants living in that building about, various, safety aspects’’ including locations of fire escapes, inspection dates, and whether alarms and extinguishers have been checked.
Tang told commissioners the provision for annual training applies to buildings with 16 or more units because those buildings are by law required to have an on‑site resident manager. ‘‘If the tenants aren’t able to attend that training, then the landlord or the manager would actually have to provide that information in writing to the tenants,’’ she said.
The commission received public comment in support of the ordinance, including from Rosemary Bosque, chair of the Fire Safety Task Force, who said the proposal aligns with other city legislation and that inspectors are prepared to look for required postings during routine inspections.
Commissioners moved and seconded a recommendation to approve the legislation and recorded a roll‑call vote that showed unanimous support. The clerk announced, "The motion carries unanimously." The action will accompany the Board of Supervisors file as it moves through the city’s legislative process.
Why it matters: Supporters said the measure is intended as a relatively low‑cost way to improve tenant knowledge about escape routes and the operational status of life‑safety systems. The ordinance also aims to create clearer enforcement touchpoints for inspectors who already examine common‑area signage in other housing code contexts.
What’s next: The city will continue its legislative process at the Board of Supervisors. The ordinance text cited local conditions under the California Health and Safety Code and is identified in the meeting documents as Board of Supervisors File No. 150792. The commission asked staff to provide technical input on implementation and accessibility features for posted materials.
