Officials May Toughen Codes Before Formal Upgrades : Construction: Bernson’s plan allows Building and Safety chief to impose higher standards spurred by January quake.

Anticipating tougher building standards in the wake of the Northridge earthquake, the Los Angeles City Council laid the groundwork Wednesday to grant city officials the authority to impose building codes tougher than those currently on the books.

The interim power to impose higher standards would go to the head of the Building and Safety Department under legislation the council ordered to be drawn up.

Councilman Hal Bernson, who proposed the change, said it is needed so that lessons learned from the Jan. 17 quake can be applied to repairs now under way and before the council itself has time to upgrade building codes.

So far, more than 26,000 permits to repair and rebuild have been issued by the city since the quake.

“I wouldn’t say this was unprecedented but it’s timely and necessary,” Bernson said after the meeting.

A task force of structural engineers has studied the damage wreaked by the 6.8-magnitude temblor and has suggested changes to the code to make buildings safer. Those changes are being reviewed by planning officials and are pending City Council approval.

Under Bernson’s proposal, Building and Safety Department General Manager Art Johnson could legally impose those recommended changes on new construction projects before they have been formally adopted by the council.

Karl Deppe, an assistant chief in the Building and Safety Department, said the city took similar action after the 1971 earthquake centered in Sylmar.

Under the proposal, the council must adopt the changes within six months or department officials will lose the power to impose them, Deppe said.

The provisions will probably improve the ability of new construction projects to withstand the jolt of a quake. “We are requiring higher factors of safety,” Deppe said.

Those changes include requiring more plywood in the construction of buildings to provide more “sheer wall” support, Deppe said. On masonry buildings, the changes will call for stronger reinforcement between walls and ceilings to prevent collapse.

Tougher standards will also be proposed, Deppe said, for apartment complexes built over ground-floor garages and for “tilt-up” buildings, constructed of prefabricated walls that are tilted upright and fastened together.

He said some engineers working on reconstruction projects have complained that the recommended tougher standards will force them to redesign their projects.

But Deppe said the city has spread the word about the rules, giving developers and engineers ample time to incorporate the changes.