The 6.0 earthquake in the San Francisco Bay area left many engineers contemplating how to better reinforce pallet racks to help prevent future catastrophes. For many years now local building officials throughout the United States have had seismic requirements on pallet rack and shelving in warehouses. Some customers thought it was an inconvenience or a money grab by local government but I can assure you…If you were the one working in pallet rack you would want to make sure it doesn’t come down on your head in the event of an earthquake.

As a buyer of pallet rack the first step you must take is to contact your local building officials and ask them what they require in regards to seismic rack compliance. Your local building officials may want you to pull a permit which will require you provide stamped and approved drawings from a seismic engineer. These drawings may cost $850.00-$1500.00 depending on the number of different elevations you have in your rack. We are able to provide the drawings you need along with the pallet rack.

After you get your rack is the wrong time to discuss seismic compliance. If your rack was not designed to meet seismic codes the local building officials will discover it upon your building inspection. They’ll put a yellow tape around the rack and not allow you to install it until you pull a permit. The rack may require enlarged footplates, extra bracing or heavier capacity. I have seen buyers ignore seismic rack compliance only to call me afterward trying to clean up the mess. At this point the rack becomes a hot potato.

Warehouse Rack & Shelf LLC believes in doing things the right way. We can help you make sure your next rack purchase meets seismic requirements in your area. Just follow these 3 simple steps:

1. Tell us the zip code where the rack is being installed?
2. How many beam levels do you have in your rack and what is the vertical spacing of each beam level?
3. How much weight do you store on each beam level?

With the answers to these 3 questions we can have our engineers certify that the pallet rack will meet the codes in your area and provide you with the stamped drawings you will need to pull a permit. Please contact our friendly sales representative at 800-763-9020 to discuss your requirement or email us at sales@rackandshelf.com.