California originally set the SB721 inspection deadline for January 1, 2025. Then AB2579 extended it by one year, to January 1, 2026. That extension is gone. There are no more do-overs. If you own or manage a multifamily apartment building in the Bay Area with three or more units and exterior elevated elements — balconies, decks, walkways, stairways — more than six feet above ground, you are legally required to have those elements inspected by a licensed professional before January 1, 2026.Non-compliance carries fines of up to $500 per day, per deck. On a 20-unit building with 20 decks, that math gets painful fast.
SB721 — the California Balcony Inspection Law — applies to apartment buildings with three or more multifamily dwelling units. It covers any exterior elevated element that is more than six feet above grade and relies on wood or wood-based materials for structural support. That includes:
The law requires a 15% sampling inspection of each element type. That means not every single deck needs to be opened up — but a statistically representative sample does. The inspector assesses structural integrity, waterproofing systems, flashings, and load-bearing components. If immediate hazards are found, the local building department must be notified right away. All repairs must be completed within 120 days of permit approval.
For SB721 (apartments), the law allows inspections by:
For SB326 (condos and HOAs), only a licensed structural engineer or architect can perform and stamp the report — contractors are not permitted. That's one of the key distinctions between the two laws.At Deck Check, Vincenzo Melchiorre holds a California Professional Engineering License (P.E.) with 20 years of structural engineering experience — including structural assessments for the County of Los Angeles, NASA Ames, and Amazon facilities. He personally performs every inspection.
Within 45 days of the inspection, you receive a detailed written report covering the condition of each inspected element, any deficiencies found, and recommended corrective actions. If anything constitutes an immediate safety hazard, it gets flagged to the local building department. Non-emergency repairs must be permitted and completed within 120 days.After repairs are complete, a follow-up inspection confirms compliance. That report becomes part of your building's records and is retained for two full inspection cycles — twelve years.
Inspectors across the Bay Area are already booking up as the deadline approaches. Property managers who wait until Q3 or Q4 of 2025 are going to struggle to get scheduled before January 1, 2026. The same thing happened with the SB326 deadline — HOA boards that waited until late 2024 faced a backlog.