Code of Massachusetts Regulations
780 CMR - STATE BOARD OF BUILDING REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS
Chapter 16 - Structural Design
Section 1610 - SOIL LATERAL LOADS
Subsection 1610.1 - General

Universal Citation: 780 CMR MA Code of Regs 1610.1
Current through Register 1531, September 27, 2024

Foundation walls and retaining walls shall be designed to resist lateral soil loads. Soil loads specified in Table 1610.1 shall be used as the minimum design lateral soil loads unless determined otherwise by a geotechnical investigation in accordance with Section 1803. Foundation walls and other walls in which horizontal movement is restricted at the top shall be designed for at-rest pressure. Retaining walls free to move and rotate at the top shall be permitted to be designed for active pressure. Design lateral pressure from surcharge loads shall be added to the lateral earth pressure load. Design lateral pressure shall be increased if soils at the site are expansive. Foundation walls shall be designed to support the weight of the full hydrostatic pressure of undrained backfill unless a drainage system is installed in accordance with Sections 1805.4.2 and 1805.4.3.

Exception: Foundation walls extending not more than 8 feet (2438 mm) below grade and laterally supported at the top by flexible diaphragms shall be permitted to be designed for active pressure.

TABLE 1610.1 LATERAL SOIL LOAD

DESCRIPTION OF BACKFILL MATERIALc UNIFIED SOIL
CLASSIFICATION 		DESIGN LATERAL SOIL LOADa
(pound per square foot per foot of depth)
Active pressure At-rest pressure
Well-graded, clean gravels; gravel-sand mixes GW 30 60
Poorly graded clean gravels; gravel-sand mixes GP 30 60
Silty gravels, poorly graded gravel-sand mixes GM 40 60
Clayey gravels, poorly graded gravel-and-clay mixes GC 45 60
Well-graded, clean sands; gravelly sand mixes SW 30 60
Poorly graded clean sands; sand-gravel mixes SP 30 60
Silty sands, poorly graded sand-silt mixes SM 45 60
Sand-silt clay mix with plastic fines SM-SC 45 100
Clayey sands, poorly graded sand-clay mixes SC 60 100
Inorganic silts and clayey silts ML 45 100
Mixture of inorganic silt and clay ML-CL 60 100
Inorganic clays of low to medium plasticity CL 60 100
Organic silts and silt clays, low plasticity OL Note b Note b
Inorganic clayey silts, elastic silts MH Note b Note b
Inorganic clays of high plasticity CH Note b Note b
Organic clays and silty clays OH Note b Note b

For SI: 1 pound per square foot per foot of depth = 0.157 kPa/m, 1 foot = 304.8 mm.
a. Design lateral soil loads are given for moist conditions for the specified soils at their optimum densities. Actual field conditions shall govern. Submerged or saturated soil pressures shall include the weight of the buoyant soil plus the hydrostatic loads.
b. Unsuitable as backfill material.
c. The definition and classification of soil materials shall be in accordance with ASTM D 2487.

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