Committee forwards ordinance to speed alarm upgrades for buildings sold after Sept. 1, 2017

Clerk read Item 3, an ordinance amending the building and fire codes to require buildings sold or transferred after 09/01/2017 to comply with fire-alarm system upgrade requirements for sleeping areas, while exempting mandatory seismic-strengthening alterations and transient hotels from the alarm upgrade obligation. Supervisor Aaron Peskin (sponsor) said the proposal was prompted by a February fire at an SRO at 801 Pacific Avenue and would "speed up some of the fire alarm upgrades upon sale" so buyers and sellers factor upgrade costs into transactions; the ordinance would require compliance within 12 months of sale compared with an earlier July 1, 2021 compliance timeline referenced by sponsors.

Supervisor Peskin thanked the Fire Department, Fire Marshal Dan DeCozio and the Department of Building Inspection for their work on the measure. When Supervisor Katie Tang asked why the effective date was 09/01/2017, Peskin explained the timeline: the fire occurred in February, legislation was introduced in July with notice of an August 1 effective date, and after the files were split the ordinance was reintroduced with a September 1 effective date so the public had notice of the new filing.

Public testimony was uniformly supportive. Janine New, director of the San Francisco Apartment Association, said the change is a "fix" requested of the City Attorney to allow expedited seismic work and to ensure alarm upgrades are completed consistent with state law timelines, and that supporters were prioritizing resident safety. After public comment, Supervisor Peskin moved to send the ordinance to the full Board with a committee recommendation; the motion was taken without objection.

The committee recorded the policy choice to accelerate alarm-system upgrades on sale while preserving an exemption for mandatory seismic-strengthening projects.