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Current as of January 01, 2025 | Updated by Findlaw Staff
(1) As used in this section:
(a) “Federal guidelines” means guidelines and procedures specified in “Rapid Visual Screening of Buildings for Potential Seismic Hazards: A Handbook, 2nd Edition” published by the United States Federal Emergency Management Agency.
(b) “Qualifying general obligation bond” means a bond:
(i) issued pursuant to Title 11, Chapter 14, Local Government Bonding Act; and
(ii) authorized by an election held on or after July 1, 2013.
(c) “Seismic safety evaluation” means a seismic safety rapid visual screening evaluated in accordance with federal guidelines or a more detailed seismic structural evaluation.
(2) If a school district issues a qualifying general obligation bond, the school district shall:
(a) except as provided in Subsection (4), conduct or update a seismic safety evaluation of each school district building:
(i) constructed before 1975; and
(ii) used by the school district as a school; and
(b) provide a copy of a seismic safety evaluation prepared under Subsection (2)(a) to the Utah Seismic Safety Commission created in Section 63C-6-101.
(3) A seismic safety evaluation conducted under Subsection (2) shall be conducted by a licensed structural engineer familiar with seismic codes.
(4) A school district is not required to conduct or update a seismic safety evaluation of a building as required in Subsection (2)(a) if:
(a) a seismic safety evaluation was performed on the building within the 25-year period before the school district issues the qualifying general obligation bond; and
(b) the school district provides a copy of the school district's seismic safety evaluation described in Subsection (4)(a) to the Utah Seismic Safety Commission.
(5) Creation of a seismic safety evaluation of a school, or a list of schools needing seismic upgrades, shall not be construed as expanding or changing the state's or a school district's common law duty of care for liability purposes.
Cite this article: FindLaw.com - Utah Code Title 53G. Public Education System--Local Administration § 53G-4-608. Requirement to conduct seismic safety evaluations when issuing a bond - last updated January 01, 2025 | https://codes.findlaw.com/ut/title-53g-public-education-system-local-administration/ut-code-sect-53g-4-608/
FindLaw Codes may not reflect the most recent version of the law in your jurisdiction. Please verify the status of the code you are researching with the state legislature before relying on it for your legal needs.
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