About UC Davis Seismic Safety

UC Davis has been proactive in completing seismic improvement work as part of its capital improvements program over the past 25 years. 

Six buildings on the Davis campus are currently scheduled for active seismic improvement projects using AB94 funding. Learn more

Seismic Policy

University of California’s first seismic safety policy was issued in January 1975. The current policy is dated May 2017. The purpose of the policy is to provide an acceptable level of earthquake safety for students, employees, and the public who occupy university facilities located in California. Updates are being considered as UC goes through a renewed program effort.

In June 2018, UC required all university facilities to have current seismic ratings with buildings requiring seismic improvement work completed or unoccupied by December 31, 2030. Buildings were divided into multiple groups to best tackle this large amount of evaluation work, with all ratings due by July 2020.   

For leased facilities, prior to entering into a new lease or renewing an existing lease, an acceptable seismic rating is required or a seismic improvement completed within 2 years under certain conditions.

Seismic Building Evaluations, Completed and In-Progress Projects

All buildings were evaluated following the current UC seismic policy guidelines.

All 1,186 building have been evaluated. Below is a breakdown of the findings. (Please find the rating key above.) Please note that all university-owned housing units have seismically acceptable ratings.

• 12 buildings were rated VI and currently have seismic improvement projects pending or in-process within the Design & Construction Management Capital Project Program: 
  • Fire & Police
  • Central Heating and Cooling Plant
  • Chemistry
  • C.N. Gorman Museum
  • Voorhies Hall
  • Young Hall
  • Social Sciences & Humanities
  • Sprocket
  • Jungerman Hall
  • Mann Laboratory
• 405 buildings are seismically acceptable
• 478 buildings are exempt. These are small, one-story structures of very low risk.
• 138 of these buildings were recently demolished or are scheduled for demolition over the next 2 years. 
• 122 buildings are rated V. These buildings require further study or seismic improvement. 
• 28 buildings are rated VI. These buildings require further study or seismic improvement.
• 3 buildings rated VII have been vacated. (These three are barns on west campus.)

Completed seismic improvement projects include: 

• Shasta Hall (formerly Emerson Hall)
• Chemistry Annex
• Walker Hall
• Yosemite Hall (previously Webster Hall)
• PSE Library
• The Silo
• Tercero 3 and 4 Housing
• Tercero Community/Dining
• Hart Hall 
• North and South Halls
• Memorial Union
• Kerr Hall
• Academic Surge
• Bainer Hall 
• John Muir Institute
• Heitman Learning Center
• Rock Hall
• Olson Hall
• Briggs Hall
• Bainer Hall
• Robbins Hall 
• Telecommunications
• Veterinary Medicine 2
• Segundo Housing Complex
• Segundo Dining Commons

Building Code

Although the building code is updated and issued every 3 years, buildings are compliant to the code for the year of their design.  However, based on code requirements a major renovation can trigger the need for seismic improvements.