Is It Brick?
Unreinforced masonry, or URM, means brick or block walls with no steel inside. These walls are heavy and brittle. In strong shaking they can crack, pull away from the floors and roof, and fall outward. URM buildings are Utah's single biggest earthquake risk to life, and state and FEMA estimates put their number above 140,000, most of them homes.
The good news: you can usually tell in a few minutes whether a building might be URM, and the most important fixes are well understood.
This is a self-check, not an inspection. Only a licensed structural engineer can tell you for certain whether a building is unreinforced, and how to fix it.
Five clues
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When was it built?
Most URM homes in Utah were built before about 1975, when building codes began requiring steel reinforcement in masonry. Salt Lake City's Fix the Bricks program used "built before 1975" as its cutoff. Your county assessor's website usually lists the year built.
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Look for "header" bricks
Solid brick walls are two or more bricks thick, tied together by bricks laid crosswise. From outside you see their short ends: a row of small squares every five to seven rows. Header rows are the classic sign of a solid, likely unreinforced, brick wall. If every brick shows its long side, it may be a single layer of veneer over a wood frame, which is much less dangerous.
Header row (bottom): short ends showing. Likely solid brick. Possible URM.
Long sides only: often a single layer of veneer. Check inside to be sure.
Simplified diagrams. Some solid walls hide their headers, and some veneer uses half-bricks to look like headers, so use the other clues too. -
Look behind the brick
In an unfinished basement, attic, or garage, see what the outside wall is made of. Wood studs behind the brick usually mean veneer. Brick all the way through, or brick that holds up the floor joists, usually means a structural brick wall.
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Look up: parapets and chimneys
A parapet is a brick wall that rises above the roofline, common on older shops and apartment buildings. Parapets and brick chimneys are often the first things to fall, onto sidewalks, porches, and doorways.
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Look for signs of a retrofit
Rows of metal plates or "stars" on the outside walls at each floor and at the roofline are often wall anchors, which tie the brick to the floors and roof. Steel braces behind a parapet are another sign someone has done work. Ask the owner or the city for permit records to be sure.
What your answers suggest
Likely URM
Built before 1975, header rows or brick all the way through, no signs of a retrofit.
Next: talk to a structural engineer, and follow the "bigger projects" in your plan.
Maybe
Brick outside, older building, but you can't see what's behind it.
Next: check the assessor record and look in the basement or attic. Treat it as URM until you know.
Probably not
Built after the mid-1970s, or wood studs behind a single layer of brick.
Next: great. Focus on what's inside: secure the water heater and furniture.
If you own a brick building
A full retrofit can be a big project, but the most life-saving parts come first, and an engineer can phase them:
- Tie the roof to the walls so the walls can't peel away and the roof can't collapse.
- Brace parapets and brace or remove chimneys, the pieces most likely to fall on people.
- Anchor the walls to each floor.
Salt Lake City's Fix the Bricks program helped homeowners with these steps and listed an average cost of about $20,000. The program was closed to new applicants with a wait of more than ten years when we last checked. Ask your city and county emergency managers about any current help, and verify any engineer or contractor's license with the Utah Division of Professional Licensing.
If you rent in a brick building
- Ask your landlord, in writing, whether the building is unreinforced masonry and whether it has been retrofitted.
- Keep beds, cribs, and couches away from brick walls and chimneys.
- During shaking, stay inside: Drop, Cover, and Hold On. Running out the door under a parapet is one of the most dangerous things you can do.
- Afterward, leave by the exit least likely to have fallen brick, and stay out until the building has been checked.
Sources: FEMA, Fix the Bricks case study; Utah Seismic Safety Commission, unreinforced masonry resources; Salt Lake City, Fix the Bricks program pages.