Am I required to retrofit my URM (unreinforced masonry) building?
Answered by AskBaily Editorial · Updated
Short answer
Portland inventoried ~1,600 URM buildings under the Earthquake Ready Initiative — mostly pre-1962 brick-veneer commercial, mixed-use, and multi-family. The city is phasing compliance over multi-decade horizons, with tier-based triggers. Substantial renovation inside a URM triggers parallel retrofit obligations. Voluntary retrofit is encouraged via fee discounts and streamlined review; complete inventory is at portlandmaps.com URM layer.
In detail
Portland inventoried ~1,600 URM buildings under the Earthquake Ready Initiative — mostly pre-1962 brick-veneer commercial, mixed-use, and multi-family. The city is phasing compliance over multi-decade horizons, with tier-based triggers. Substantial renovation inside a URM triggers parallel retrofit obligations. Voluntary retrofit is encouraged via fee discounts and streamlined review; complete inventory is at portlandmaps.com URM layer.
This answer is part of AskBaily's portland regulatory knowledge base. For deeper context — including current code-section references, agency contact details, and recent policy changes — see the [portland city hub](/portland) or [the /ask hub](/ask) for related questions.
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