Contractors
The California Residential Mitigation Program (CRMP) created incentive grant programs to help California homeowners seismically retrofit their house to better withstand earthquakes.
Participating in the CRMP seismic retrofit programs is an excellent business opportunity for contractors. CRMP has provided retrofit grants to thousands of California homeowners to help pay for a seismic retrofit of their home. Licensed contractors participating in the program are the backbone of our retrofit programs' success.
Why Should California Contractors Want CRMP Projects?
- No Fees - There is no fee for you to participate in CRMP, and any California-licensed Type A or B general contractor in good standing may participate.
- Demand - Thousands of homes in California need this type of seismic retrofit.
- Exclusivity - Homeowners invited into a CRMP grant program, and who need to hire a contractor to do the work, are required to hire a contractor from the CRMP Contractor Directory. Take these steps to be added to the Contractor Directory:
- If you’re already registered as a CRMP contractor for either EBB or ESS, go straight to your Dashboard and complete the free training.
- New to our retrofit programs? Simply Register with us, and then complete the free CRMP trainings.
- Free Seismic Retrofit Training - CRMP offers free online trainings to contractors. Developed by FEMA, these brief trainings will help you learn to identify common seismic vulnerabilities, how to retrofit those homes, and how to apply applicable construction guidelines.
- FREE Marketing Support - Participating Contractors can receive free marketing materials including informational brochures, a "FEMA-Trained" logo to use on your website and social media, and yard signs to promote your retrofit business.
- Program Support - We are here for you! We provide an easy-to-use online Contractor Dashboard where you can manage your CRMP retrofit projects, and our customer service team is available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., to answer your questions. Simply Contact Us.
How to Get Started
Contractors who want to join CRMP must:
- Be a California licensed Type A or B general contractor in good standing.
- Create an online account by registering as a Contractor.
- If you’re already registered as a CRMP contractor, you don’t need to register again. Just go straight to your Dashboard and complete the free CRMP trainings.
- Successfully complete the required trainings, and then you'll be added to the Contractor Directory.
Still have questions about joining CRMP? Contact Us.
Licensed Design Professionals
If a homeowner participating in a CRMP retrofit program is told by their contractor or the building department that their retrofit will require custom plans prepared by a design professional (an architect or engineer), we encourage them to use our Licensed Design Professional Directory to find a professional to complete the plans.
To be included in CRMP's Licensed Design Professional Directory:
- If you’re already registered and are included in CRMP's Directory, you don’t need to do anything.
- New to our retrofit programs? Simply Register with us, and we will add you to the CRMP Licensed Design Professional Directory.
About CRMP Retrofits
CRMP provides grant funding for older homes with two types of construction: houses with a raised foundation (the Earthquake Brace + Bolt grant program [EBB]), and houses with a living space over a garage (the Earthquake Soft-Story grant program [ESS]).
EBB
EBB provides funding for retrofits that:
- strengthen crawl space walls (cripple walls) and lessen the potential for damage during an earthquake;
- bolt the foundation to the frame, strengthening the house making it less likely that it will slide off the foundation during an earthquake; and
- properly strap the water heater to reduce the likelihood of water and fire damage, and to protect the water supply.
ESS
ESS provides retrofit funding for single-family, two-story houses with a living space over the garage. Having a living space over a garage creates an earthquake "soft story" vulnerability. The vulnerability is caused by the large open space and wall openings on the lowest floor. An ESS retrofit can improve the expected earthquake performance of the living space over garage house.
The types of structural vulnerabilities that may need to be addressed in an ESS retrofit include:
- inadequate sill plate anchorage
- large open areas created by garage*, utility, storage, and crawl spaces
- large openings like the garage door
- walls with many openings that leave very little solid wall, and
- lack of bracing on the wood stud walls around the ground floor.
In addition to strengthening the above vulnerabilities, the water heater must be properly strapped to reduce the likelihood of water and fire damage and to protect the water supply.
*”Garage” is defined as an unconverted, functional garage with a garage door opening.