Read a Berkeley soft-story inventory entry as a dated program report, then check permit and closeout records separately. The City’s linked Soft Story Inventory PDF says its status is as of January 11, 2023. The City’s retrofit-program page still links that document, but each property row reflects that January 2023 date. An application, an issued permit and a completed retrofit describe different points in a file’s history.
Keep the inventory’s actual category and date
The PDF’s key distinguishes a retrofit reported complete from a property removed for a stated reason. Its removal reasons include too few dwelling units, a determination that the building falls outside the soft, weak or open-front category, a newer building, and demolition. Keep the reason attached to the row; “removed” and “retrofitted” mean different things.
The key also separates a permit obtained from an application still in review. Several out-of-compliance or no-application descriptions have different phase or newly-added qualifiers. Preserve the full label and its January 2023 reporting date rather than flattening those variants into one present-day conclusion. The labels tell you what that inventory reported at that time. Later inspection results and today’s building condition need later records.
| Inventory category (paraphrased) | Record it as… | Next document to distinguish |
|---|---|---|
| Retrofit completed | The inventory’s completion report as of its stated date | The related permit and final or closeout record, if needed for the question |
| Removed from inventory | A removal with its specific stated reason | The underlying decision or later property file, rather than assuming construction occurred |
| Permit issued | An issued permit milestone | Inspection and final records for that permit |
| Application in review | A pending application at that reporting date | A later decision or permit number, if one exists |
| Out of compliance or no application | The exact dated variant displayed | Later filings or City clarification; ask rather than reading a cause into the short label |
Follow the permit number forward, if there is one
Suppose a fictional entry reported “application in review” in January 2023. A later paper in the owner’s file shows an issued permit, and another mentions a final inspection. Leave the original inventory row as it was reported. Write three separate lines: the inventory label and report date; the permit number, issue date and described work; then the later inspection record, its date and result. If the records lack a shared property or permit identifier, leave the join unresolved.
The City’s Research Permit Records guide documents Building Eye routes for building and planning permits issued since 1993, including address and permit-number searching. It sends earlier permit research to microfiche through the Permit Service Center and points to a public-records request when listed routes do not locate the needed information. An empty online permit search does not prove that no permit or final record exists. Record the inputs, stated coverage and result before treating a no-hit as a gap in the City’s records.
For the later end of the chain, the Berkeley final-inspection and signed-job-card guide explains which closeout paper to request. The broader final-inspection status guide helps when a permit result stops at “issued” or an inspection event. When the reader needs the specific final record, request that record itself.
If the PDF has no matching row
A missing row leaves retrofit completion, current compliance, exemption, present building condition and coverage by other programs all open. The City program page says buildings can be added when they come to staff attention through a permit application, tenant inquiry or staff review. Check that the address and building identity match the document’s scope, then ask the City which current program record or file applies. Cite the PDF’s printed date and the exact search or document you used; ask for an existing current status and any related permit or completion record, without assuming either exists.
City of Berkeley retrofit-program and permit-research pages and the linked inventory checked October 15, 2026.