After much anticipation and dozens of amendments, Senate Bill 721, or the "Balcony Bill," was passed with an overwhelming majority in the California state legislature and signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown on September 17, 2018. Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani Los Angeles Construction Partner Brenda Radmacher shed light on the new requirements for building owners associated with decks and balconies and the impact on the construction industry and those in the multi-family development field in her article "SB 721 - California Multi-Family Buildings New Require Inspections of "EEEs" which was published in the December 20 issue of the Construction Defect Journal.
Balconies and decks, called "Exterior Elevated Elements" (EEEs) in the statute, are common features in most multi-family buildings in California. However, many of these structures have proven problematic. Radmacher's article examines the "Balcony Bill" which arose largely out of an outcry following the 2015 balcony collapse in Berkeley, California which left six people dead and seven injured. Radmacher provides thorough details on the scope and impact of the bill on the construction industry. Radmacher provides answers to pertinent questions on who must comply, what are the inspection requirements, what results from an inspection and who can perform an EEE inspection. To read Radmacher's article in full, please click here.
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About the author:
Brenda K. Radmacher specializes in construction, real estate, and employment litigation, regularly counseling general contractors, construction managers, design professionals, contractors, and owners on contract negotiations, risk management and disputes. Her practice emphasizes resolving complex construction disputes through negotiation, mediation, and, when necessary, arbitration and litigation, on projects in California, nationwide, and internationally. She frequently addresses claims involving breach of contract, construction and design defects, liens, delays and impacts, construction defects, bonds and insurance issues (including among others, general liability, builder’s risk, professional liability and subcontractor default insurance), and represents many of the nation’s largest contractors and developers in the commercial, multifamily, and residential markets. She has substantial experience in building envelope, water infiltration and mold-related claims, having counseled clients with respect to hundreds of such matters. Radmacher has defended all types of cases including mass actions and class action claims, defending residential homebuilders, commercial contractors, and design professionals.