3500 Fulton St, San Francisco, CA 94118

The three-story, 14-unit multi-family residential building at 3500 Fulton Street in the Inner Richmond, owned by Dennis and Carol Hamby, has undergone significant safety and structural improvements in recent years. Most notably, the building completed a mandatory soft-story retrofit in 2019, demonstrating compliance with San Francisco's seismic safety requirements as a Tier 4 building.

The property has received important safety system upgrades, including recent work in 2023 to install low frequency sounders in sleeping areas to meet fire code requirements, with similar electrical work continuing into 2025. Earlier structural improvements included voluntary strengthening in 2017 with the addition of moment frames and plywood shear walls ($80,000), and dry rot repairs in 2021. The building has a history of addressing both routine maintenance and safety concerns, with several fire safety issues documented and resolved between 2000 and 2018, including problems with fire escapes, fire extinguishers, and an emergency exit door.

The property has experienced multiple false alarms and smoke detector activations over the years, though none resulted in fires or civilian injuries. Recent 311 calls from late 2024 through early 2025 primarily relate to external issues such as street lighting, graffiti, and parking enforcement. The building's maintenance history shows attention to both required seismic retrofitting and regular upkeep, with several completed permits indicating ongoing commitment to building safety and code compliance.