Structural PE Stamp in San Diego, CA: Seismic, Hillside, and Plan Check

The seismic review starts with the geotechnical investigation: site class, mapped spectral accelerations, and any liquefaction or slope-related seismic hazard findings, all of which set the design parameters. I verify the seismic design category, the structural system's appropriateness for it, and the analysis from base shear through distribution to drift — re-performing key steps rather than accepting the output. Ductile detailing gets a detail-by-detail check: special moment frame joints, shear wall boundary elements, braced frame connections, and the collectors and diaphragm ties that make the system act as one. Irregularities get explicit attention, since San Diego's hillside and infill projects produce them regularly. The sealed drawings show the seismic criteria and the lateral system clearly, and the calculation package backs every element with verified math.

On sloped sites the foundation review becomes a geotechnical partnership. I check that the foundation type suits the slope conditions per the geotech — piers to competent material, stepped footings with proper bearing, or retaining systems where the grade demands it — and that the retaining wall design includes the lateral earth pressures, surcharges, and drainage the report specifies. Drainage detailing gets the same weight as structural sizing: surface water directed away from foundations and walls, subsurface drainage behind retaining structures, and no ponding against the building. The civil grading plan and the structural foundation plan must agree on every elevation and wall location; I coordinate them directly during the review. A hillside structural set that treats drainage as someone else's problem is not ready for a seal.

A San Diego structural package is ready for the PE's review — and then for Development Services — when these items are resolved. Seismic verification and hillside coordination lead. • Site-specific geotechnical investigation with seismic parameters and slope findings • Seismic analysis independently verified: base shear, distribution, torsion, drift • Ductile detailing of the lateral system, collectors, and diaphragm connections • Hillside foundations and retaining designed per geotech, with drainage detailed • Coastal durability detailing where the marine exposure zone applies • Structural, civil, and architectural drawings coordinated on elevations and walls