315 Duncan St, San Francisco, CA 94131

The two-story, 8-unit apartment building at 315 Duncan Street in Noe Valley, owned by Terrance J & Donna S Costel, has undergone several significant safety and infrastructure improvements since its construction in 1967. Most notably, in 2022 the building received a comprehensive fire safety upgrade with the installation of a new fire alarm system including wireless communication capabilities, smoke detectors, pull stations, and low-frequency horn/strobe units throughout common areas and sleeping spaces, at a cost of $18,000. The building completed mandatory seismic retrofitting in 2016 (as a Tier 3 soft-story building), demonstrating compliance with San Francisco's safety requirements. Additional maintenance work has included window replacement and dry-rot repairs in 2009, a service panel change in 2020, and most recently in 2024, the installation of new domestic and fire sprinkler mains from the meter to the house valve.

The building's maintenance history shows regular attention to both safety and habitability issues. A 2007 inspection resulted in repairs to damaged ceilings, which were completed within two months. The property has passed routine housing inspections in 1999, 2007, and 2011, with no active violations currently on record. While there have been multiple parking enforcement calls regarding blocking driveways between 2020 and 2021, these are not directly related to building safety or maintenance.

The most recent infrastructure work, completed in 2024, indicates ongoing investment in building systems. The building has experienced two fire-related complaints in 2012 (regarding alarm systems and blocked exits), both of which were promptly corrected. The property's maintenance and upgrade history suggests systematic attention to safety compliance, though the presence of historical issues such as dry rot and the need for window replacement are worth noting. The building's soft-story retrofit status is classified as "Work Complete, CFC Issued", indicating this major safety requirement has been fulfilled.