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A case study illustrating that SB326 is a safety law that saves lives.

By Chris Sigler, B.S.C.E., C.D.T.

This article first appeared in the Communicator, Fall 2025 Edition. To view click here.

With an inception date of late 2019, and a formal title of California Civil Code 5551, Senate Bill 326, or more simply "SB326," much debate has swirled around this law. Thankfully, a great many of our associations throughout the state have engaged the appropriate engineering or architectural professionals to perform inspections of their Exterior Elevated Elements ("EEEs") as is required by the law.

The most common complaint that seems to arise about this law involves the additional expense that it creates for our associations, similar to many other laws that our state legislature has passed. There has also been discussion and controversy regarding conflicts of interest, unnecessary work being created by contractors performing inspections, and other criticisms and pushbacks. Despite the vario...

Second in a series by Barry Robbins

It is widely acknowledged that elevators have significantly impacted architectural design and are an indispensable component of modern buildings, providing an efficient means of transporting people and goods between different floors. Interestingly, the story regarding the inventor of the elevator is that he never filed a patent and never realized the success of his invention, but his family name still remains one the most recognized in the world.

Elisha Graves Otis, a doll maker by profession, is credited with inventing the "Safety Elevator," which debuted at the New York World’s Fair in 1853. Despite being 42 years old at the time of his invention, Otis did not live long enough to witness the widespread use of his creation, as he passed away at the age of 49. In addition to the elevator, Otis invented the steam engine, greatly facilitating the elevator’s vertical movement and making it faster.

The selection of the name "Safety Elevator" was a cru...