The new Earthquake Soft-Story (ESS) retrofit grant program, created by the California Residential Mitigation Program (CRMP), is set to open homeowner registration in Spring 2023. CRMP created ESS to provide California homeowners with incentive grants of up to $13,000 to seismically retrofit their house that has a living space over the garage to better withstand earthquakes.
ESS provides grants to strengthen older single-family, two-story houses that have a living space over the garage, or "soft story," that is susceptible to collapse during an earthquake unless retrofitted.
Homeowners with this type of residence may participate in ESS if their home:
If this sounds like your home, please sign up to be notified when ESS opens for homeowner registration.
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A soft-story earthquake retrofit strengthens part of the ground floor of the house, so the existing structure can better withstand the side to side shaking that occurs during an earthquake. The foundation is bolted to the frame of the house; plywood is added to the ground floor walls; and the walls on either side of the garage door are braced by adding a steel column, steel frame, engineered shear wall, or plywood bracing to help prevent the home from collapsing or sliding off its foundation during an earthquake.
California general contractors with a Type A or B license in good standing may participate in ESS after registering and completing the FEMA P-1100 free online seismic retrofit training. Once homeowners are accepted into ESS, they must choose a contractor from the ESS Contractor Directory. As soon as you’ve completed the FEMA training, you will be automatically added to the ESS Contractor Directory.