Berkeley balcony tragedy spurs building regulation changes

Berkeley City Council in California has approved stricter rules on building regulations in the wake of last month’s balcony collapse that killed six Irish students and injured seven others.

At the same time, state legislators have rejected a new law that would have required construction firms to reveal evidence of previous negligence when seeking a building licence.

The new city regulations require a mandatory inspection of all existing balconies, decks, stairs, and other weather-exposed elements of all properties in Berkeley within six months, with a repeat inspection every three years.