As of today, July 30, 2026, the SB 721 California law inspection deadline is in the past. It expired January 1, 2026, after a one-year extension from AB 2579. The condominium version, SB 326, expired a full year earlier on January 1, 2025. That one was never extended. If you own or manage a multi-unit building in Los Angeles or Orange County and your balconies, walkways and stairs still haven’t been inspected, you’re not early. You’re late.
Key takeaways
- SB 721 (Health and Safety Code section 17973) required a first inspection of exterior elevated elements on buildings with three or more multifamily dwelling units by January 1, 2026, then every six years.
- SB 326 (Civil Code section 5551) required community associations to finish their first inspection by January 1, 2025, then every nine years. AB 2579 did not extend that one.
- The sample sizes differ. SB 721 sets a flat 15 percent of each element type. SB 326 requires a sample sized for 95 percent confidence, with a margin of error no greater than plus or minus 5 percent.
- SB 326 allows only a licensed structural or civil engineer or architect. SB 721 also allows A, B or C-5 contractors with at least five years of experience.
- The civil penalty of $100 to $500 per day attaches to unfinished repairs, not to a missed inspection date.
Every figure below links to the statute it came from. None of this is legal advice. Confirm your building’s status with your inspector, your city’s enforcement agency, or your attorney.
Capital Deck & Stair is a family-owned, California-licensed contractor (CSLB #1005325). We’ve been opening up and rebuilding decks, balconies and exterior stairs across Los Angeles and Orange County for more than 40 years. Half of what follows is the statute. The rest is what we find under the coating.
Where Do SB 721 and SB 326 Stand as of July 30, 2026?
Both initial deadlines are behind us. They were never the same date. Health and Safety Code section 17973 says the inspection “shall be completed by January 1, 2026, and by January 1 every six years thereafter” (California Health and Safety Code 17973). Civil Code section 5551 says “the first inspection shall be completed by January 1, 2025,” then every nine years after that (California Civil Code 5551).
Most of the confusion traces back to one bill. The Governor approved AB 2579 on September 28, 2024. It amended section 17973 only, moving the rental deadline from January 1, 2025 to January 1, 2026 (AB 2579 bill text). It never touched Civil Code 5551. So condo boards that held off because they’d heard “the deadline got pushed” were waiting on an extension that didn’t apply to them.
Cities publish the same split. The City of Marina lists January 1, 2026 for SB 721 properties and January 1, 2025 for SB 326, with re-inspection every six and nine years (City of Marina, California Balcony Laws). AB 2579 also preserved local authority. A city or county “may enact ordinances or laws imposing requirements greater than those imposed by this section.” Check your jurisdiction before assuming the state date is the only one.
SB 326 Requirements vs SB 721: What Actually Differs?
Both laws define exterior elevated elements the same basic way. A walking surface more than six feet above ground level, extending beyond the exterior walls, relying in whole or in substantial part on wood or wood-based products for structural support. Past that definition, they diverge on four things that change your scope and your budget.
SB 721 vs SB 326 at a glance
- Who it covers. SB 721: buildings with three or more multifamily dwelling units, meaning rentals. SB 326: community associations, so condominiums and common interest developments.
- Sample size. SB 721: at least 15 percent of each type of element. SB 326: enough units for 95 percent confidence with a margin of error no greater than plus or minus 5 percent.
- Who may inspect. SB 721: licensed architect, licensed civil or structural engineer, A, B or C-5 contractor with five years’ experience, or a certified building inspector. SB 326: licensed structural or civil engineer or architect only.
- First deadline. SB 721: January 1, 2026. SB 326: January 1, 2025.
- Re-inspection cycle. SB 721: every six years, so next on January 1, 2032. SB 326: every nine years, so next on January 1, 2034.
How much of the building actually gets opened up
This is the difference that catches boards off guard. SB 721 sets a flat floor. The statute requires that “a sample of at least 15 percent of each type of exterior elevated element shall be inspected.” SB 326 sets no percentage at all. It requires enough units inspected “to provide 95 percent confidence that the results from the sample are reflective of the whole, with a margin of error of no greater than plus or minus 5 percent” (Civil Code 5551). On a large condominium project, that statistical standard can pull in well past 15 percent. It drives the inspection scope, and it drives the repair budget that follows.
Who is allowed to sign the report
SB 326 keeps the list short. Only a licensed structural or civil engineer or architect may perform the inspection. SB 721 is broader. It admits a licensed architect, a licensed civil or structural engineer, a building contractor holding an A, B or C-5 license with a minimum of five years’ experience, or a certified building inspector or building official from a recognized association who isn’t employed by the local jurisdiction (section 17973). If you’re on an HOA board and a contractor offered to run your SB 326 inspection, that’s the line to check.
You Missed the Deadline. What Happens Now?
Under the SB 721 California law, missing the January 1, 2026 inspection date does not by itself trigger a fine. The civil penalty in Health and Safety Code section 17973 is tied to unfinished repairs, not to the inspection date. Subdivision (i) provides that if repairs aren’t finished within 30 days of the local agency’s notice, the owner “shall be assessed a civil penalty based on the fee schedule set by the local authority of not less than one hundred dollars ($100) nor more than five hundred dollars ($500) per day until the repairs are completed,” absent an extension. That same subdivision provides that a building safety lien may be recorded.
So the order of operations for an owner who is past the date is straightforward:
- Book a qualified inspector now. Under section 17973 that means a licensed architect, a licensed civil or structural engineer, an A, B or C-5 contractor with five years’ experience, or a certified building inspector.
- Read the report when it lands and separate the urgent findings from the rest.
- Restrict access immediately to any element flagged as an immediate threat to safety.
- Apply for the repair permit inside the 120-day window the statute allows.
- Complete the repairs inside the second 120-day window that starts at permit approval.
The statute gives the inspector 45 days from completing the inspection to deliver the report to the owner. The owner keeps it in permanent records for not less than two inspection cycles. Any condition posing an immediate threat to safety requires preventive measures immediately, and fencing the balcony off until the emergency repair is done constitutes compliance. Reports flagging those urgent conditions also go to the local enforcement agency within 15 days.
What does a carrier do at renewal with a building that has no report on file? Have that conversation with your broker before the renewal date, not after.
What Do We Find When We Open a Southern California Balcony?
The conditions written up most often on Los Angeles and Orange County balconies are dry rot at the ledger, failed or missing ledger flashing, delaminated magnesite topping, and saturated plywood sheathing under a cracked topcoat. An inspection report is a list of conditions. A balcony is a stack of layers. Here’s what those conditions turn out to be once the topcoat comes off.
Southern California wears out decks in a specific pattern. Eight or nine months of hard UV chalks the topcoat and opens hairline cracks in it. Then the winter storms arrive in a handful of concentrated weeks and drive water straight into those cracks. The dry season is so long that nobody sees a stain on the ceiling below until the framing has been getting fed for two or three seasons.
On older LA apartment buildings we open a lot of magnesite. Magnesite is a cementitious topping poured over plywood, common on mid-century multifamily stock. Once it delaminates, it holds water against the sheathing like a sponge. Underneath we find soft plywood, corroded fasteners, and dry rot concentrated right at the ledger. The ledger is the framing member that ties the balcony back into the building. Failed or missing flashing at that ledger is the most common structural finding we see written up.
Tile-over-deck assemblies hide it better. The tile still looks presentable while the membrane beneath it is long gone. Ponding water at a low spot. Cracked grout lines. A stair landing that feels spongy underfoot. Rust bleeding through a railing base. Those are the things worth walking your property for between inspection cycles, and they drive most of the deck repair scopes we take on. The waterproofing systems we install are listed with their manufacturer specs on our technical page.
The Repair Phase Is Where the Clock Really Runs
Here’s what most SB 721 coverage skips. The inspector can’t fix what they found. Once a report identifies conditions requiring repair, section 17973 gives the owner 120 days to apply for a permit, then another 120 days after permit approval to finish the work. The local enforcement agency can extend that for good cause. That’s the window a licensed contractor has to work inside.
A typical balcony repair driven by an inspection finding runs in this sequence:
- Demo the failed coating down to substrate.
- Open up and replace rotted framing and sheathing.
- Correct the ledger flashing so water leaves the assembly instead of entering it.
- Rebuild slope so the deck drains instead of ponding.
- Install the waterproofing system, then the topcoat.
Recoating over wet plywood is how a building fails the same inspection twice.
Exterior stairways get their own scope. They’re a load path with people on them, and stringers and landings rot from the inside where nobody looks. Stair repair and waterproofing often runs alongside the balcony work on one permit. Where an assembly is structurally sound and simply past the service life of its coating, deck coating and sealing may be the whole scope. Most projects are backed by an 8-year workmanship warranty.
What Should You Do Next?
If you’re holding a report with findings on it, or you’re a rental owner who never got inspected at all, the next move is scoping the repair and getting into the permit queue. We handle SB 721 and SB 326 compliance work from the inspector’s findings through permits to final sign-off, as the licensed contractor of record.
If the failure modes above match what you’re seeing on your property, call Capital Deck & Stair at 818-697-6334 for a free on-site estimate, or request a quote. Bring the inspection report. We’d rather read it than guess.
About this article. Written and reviewed by the field team at Capital Deck & Stair Waterproofing, a family-owned California-licensed contractor (CSLB #1005325) at 7453 Woodley Ave, Van Nuys, CA 91406, serving Los Angeles and Orange County for more than 40 years. Every statutory quote here was read directly from leginfo.legislature.ca.gov on July 30, 2026. Code sections and local ordinances change. Verify current requirements with your local enforcement agency before you act on any of it. More about our crew and our history.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did AB 2579 extend the SB 326 deadline for condominiums too?
No. AB 2579, approved September 28, 2024, amended Health and Safety Code section 17973. It moved the SB 721 rental deadline from January 1, 2025 to January 1, 2026 (AB 2579 bill text). Civil Code section 5551 was not amended, so the SB 326 condominium deadline of January 1, 2025 stood and has now passed.
What is the difference between the SB 721 and SB 326 sample size?
SB 721 sets a fixed minimum of at least 15 percent of each type of exterior elevated element (Health and Safety Code 17973). SB 326 sets a statistical target instead. It requires enough units inspected for 95 percent confidence that the sample reflects the whole, with a margin of error no greater than plus or minus 5 percent (Civil Code 5551).
Does SB 721 apply to a single-family home or a duplex?
No. Health and Safety Code section 17973 applies to buildings containing three or more multifamily dwelling units. Single-family homes and duplexes fall outside it. Keep in mind that AB 2579 preserved the authority of a city or county to “enact ordinances or laws imposing requirements greater than those imposed by this section,” so check your local rules.
Can the contractor who inspects also do the repairs?
Health and Safety Code 17973 lists A, B and C-5 licensed contractors with at least five years’ experience among those qualified to inspect under SB 721. The section does not on its face bar a qualified contractor from also performing repairs. Many owners still separate the two roles. Confirm the approach with your local enforcement agency or counsel.
When is the next SB 721 deadline?
January 1, 2032. Section 17973 requires inspection “by January 1, 2026, and by January 1 every six years thereafter.” Buildings whose permit applications were submitted after January 1, 2019 are inspected within six years of the certificate of occupancy instead. SB 326 condominium properties run on a nine-year cycle, putting their next one at January 1, 2034.