California Residential Mitigation Program FAQs

A. Seismic retrofitting of vulnerable homes is critical to reducing your risk of earthquake injury and damage. The frames of older houses are often not bolted to their foundations, and if a cripple wall exists it may lack bracing. Houses without adequate bolting and bracing can slide or topple off their foundation during an earthquake.

Houses with a living space over a garage, and built before 2000, and before current building codes were in place may be vulnerable and not able to withstand the shaking of a damaging earthquake. The vulnerability is caused by the large open space and wall openings on the lowest floor. These conditions mean that there are fewer solid walls at the garage level, and walls are the structural elements that resist earthquake forces.

A code-compliant seismic retrofit can strengthen a house and may be critical to reducing your risk of earthquake injury and damage.

A. Determining your risk from violent earthquake shaking goes beyond finding how close your home is to the nearest fault. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) states three main factors that determine your seismic risk: the level of the seismic hazard, exposure to the hazard, and how vulnerable your community’s population and property is to the hazard.

Hazard: USGS Earthquake Hazard Maps are a great tool to depict hazard levels across the country. Interactive hazard maps are available from the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) at the My Hazards Awareness Map website on the “Earthquake Risk” tab.

Exposure: Earthquake causalities are estimated and determined by the population in geographical areas with a higher risk of earthquakes, such as the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles basin. The quantity and quality of the infrastructure (roads, bridges, gas and power lines) in that area are also evaluated.

Vulnerability: The vulnerability of your home to seismic hazards is determined by whether it has earthquake-resistance construction.

A. There is no such thing as an earthquake-proof structure. There are measures that can be taken that will likely reduce the potential for or severity of earthquake damage.

Seismic retrofitting is the adjustment of existing structures to make them more resistant to earthquake activity, ground motion, or soil failure.

Consult the California Existing Building Code (CEBC) retrofit provisions. The code sets "minimum standards intended to improve the seismic performance of residential buildings; however, they will not necessarily prevent earthquake damage."

A. Identifying your house’s age, construction and foundation type is the first step in the earthquake retrofit process.

A visual inspection by a licensed contractor, engineer or architect can determine your home’s earthquake vulnerabilities. Recommendations from the licensed professional may suggest strengthening the connections between the house and the foundation, as well as strengthening the sub-area supporting walls.

Knowing what to do, where to do it, and how to do it are very important.

A. It depends on the type of house, the type of retrofit, and the scope of work.

On average, the construction work for an Earthquake Brace + Bolt retrofit often takes only 1-3 days. In almost all cases, the work does not require entry to the inside of your home. The construction work for an Earthquake Soft-Story (ESS) retrofit may take two to three weeks. If additional work needs to be completed to support the retrofit, the project could take more time to complete. Examples of additional work include, but are not limited to, buried utilities in inconvenient locations, shelving that would have to be removed and replaced, finishes that would need to be restored, etc.

A. We recommend looking at our Resources page for information from partner organizations and to get started. You can also check out information and tips from these websites:

• FEMA Foundation Systems
• Association of Bay Area Governments Earthquake Resilience Program
• EarthquakeSafety.com: Retrofitting
• California State Treasurer: CAL/CAP Seismic Safety Financing Program
• California Seismic Safety Commission: A Homeowner’s Guide to Earthquake Safety 2020
• City of San Jose: Earthquake Retrofit Your Home
• Earthquake Country: How to Hire Someone to Strengthen Your Home
• California State License Board: Ten Tips

A. An ESS seismic retrofit strengthens an older house (pre-2000), making it more resistant to earthquake damage caused by ground shaking and soil failure. The seismic retrofitting required for ESS is performed in accordance with FEMA P-1100 (seismic retrofit construction plan set) and directly addresses the vulnerabilities by:

• Strengthening the walls at the garage door or any other large openings with plywood or other strengthening elements including steel columns or proprietary shear elements;
• Bracing the perimeter walls of the lowest story and, if there is a crawl space, the cripple walls must also be braced; and
• Bolting the house to its foundation.

The ESS retrofit may require new reinforced concrete foundations at some or all of the existing perimeter and interior bearing walls. Strengthening the garage door may involve installation of steel columns or proprietary shear elements.

A. For properties located in a FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), receiving a FEMA-funded earthquake retrofit grant of $5,000 or more, FEMA requires compliance with the National Flood Insurance Program regulations. Because CRMP's Earthquake Soft-Story (ESS) grants, and some Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB) grants are FEMA-funded grants, affected program participants must comply with these regulations.

To comply with these FEMA regulations, EBB and ESS grant recipients, when the grant amount is $5,000 or more and their house is located in a SFHA, must maintain flood insurance on the property and provide proof of coverage to CRMP. Additionally, grant recipients must complete, notarize, and record the “Acknowledgement of Conditions for Mitigation of Property in a Special Flood Hazard Area with FEMA Grant Funds” Form. 

• SPECIAL FLOOD HAZARD AREA CONDITIONS FORM (fillable PDF)

The completed Form must be:

1. Notarized by a notary of the homeowner's choosing;

2. Recorded with the applicable County Recording Office; and,

3. Proof of the recorded document must be uploaded to CRMP through the Homeowner Dashboard to receive authorization to proceed with a retrofit and to receive grant funding.

• it is determined that your house is compliant with Eligibility Criteria 1 thru 5 from Table 5.1-1 of the FEMA P-1100 Prestandard (pg. 86), but is not compliant with one or more of the criteria from Table 5.1-2;
• it is determined that your house is compliant with Eligibility Criteria 1 thru 6 of “Table 1: Eligibility for Use” from Sheet S0 of FEMA P-1100 2A but is not compliant with one or more of the criteria 7 thru 15;
• it is determined that your house is compliant with Eligibility Criteria 1 thru 5 of “Table 1: Eligibility for Use” from Sheet S0 of FEMA P-1100 2B but is not compliant with one or more of the criteria 6 thru 13.

For any non-compliant issue mentioned above, a Registered Design Professional must address the non-compliant issues in accordance with P-1100 FEMA Prestandard, Section 4.5, Differing Conditions.

A. The cost of a retrofit depends on many factors. It has been estimated that the cost of a soft-story retrofit of a single-family home may cost between $15,000 and $28,000, however, there are factors which could cause the cost to be significantly higher. An example of a factor that could cause costs to be significantly higher is the need for foundation modifications. 

The ESS grant program will reimburse up to 75% of the total retrofit cost up to $13,000 depending on the house type. Please see Program Rules for more details.

If you are a Supplemental Grant recipient and you are in a Special Flood Hazard Area, and if your EBB grant is $5,000 or more and funded by a FEMA grant, you will be required to submit a signed and notarized form attesting that you will adhere to the FEMA requirements before any EBB incentive payment will be paid.

The form, which will be provided to you, will state that you will abide by and understand the following:

• Flood insurance must be maintained for the life of the structure.
• Insurance coverage on the property must be maintained during the life of the property regardless of transfer of ownership of such property.
• All structures on the property will be maintained in accordance with flood plain management criteria.
• I, as the property owner, must legally record, with the county or appropriate jurisdiction’s land records, a notice that includes the name of the current property owner and a legal description of the property and states the following:

“This property has received Federal hazard mitigation assistance. Federal law requires that flood insurance coverage on this property must be maintained during the life of the property regardless of transfer of ownership of such property. Pursuant to 42 U.S.C. §5154a, failure to maintain flood insurance on this property may prohibit the owner from receiving Federal disaster assistance with respect to this property in the event of a flood disaster.  The Property Owner is also required to maintain this property in accordance with the flood plain management criteria of Title 44 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 60.3 and City/County Ordinance.”

Go to the FEMA Flood Map Service Center page and enter your address to see if your house is in a SFHA. If your address is in a blue colored area (example below), your house is in a SFHA.

EBB ZIP Codes are selected using the protocol criteria approved by the CRMP Governing Board. All California ZIP Codes were ordered by the following two criteria which were weighted equally.

1. Earthquake Hazard: Hazard was identified using the United States Geological Survey (USGS) earthquake hazard map for California.
2. Earthquake Vulnerability: Vulnerability was represented by identifying the percentage of pre-1940 houses in ZIP Codes in California (US Census Data). Older houses are more likely to require earthquake bracing and bolting.

EBB is expanding ZIP Code coverage each year. In 2015, we were in the 26 highest-ranking California ZIP Codes based on the protocols. In 2018, we expanded to more than 180 of the highest-ranking California ZIP Codes based on the protocols. Over time we hope to get to all high hazard areas in the state with additional funding from a variety of sources.

A: There isn't a standard cost for earthquake retrofitting a home. The retrofitting repair range for a brace and bolt type of retrofit runs from $3,000 to $7,000. The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) estimated the typical home retrofit that does not require an engineer costs about $4,500. The retrofitting repair range for a brace and bolt type of retrofit runs from $3,000 to $7,000. The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) estimated the typical home retrofit that does not require an engineer costs about $4,500.

Larger homes, those built on hillsides, and those with basements or rooms over garages will typically cost more to retrofit. But many houses may require only bolting cost of about $3,000.

• The Earthquake Mitigation Incentive and Tax Parity Act was introduced in 2019 and would change the federal tax code. It would exempt from federal tax liability the funds from state programs that help homeowners protect their homes from earthquakes.
• Under California law (Revenue and Tax Code, Section 74.5), a homeowner can implement seismic-strengthening measures without a property tax reassessment. To receive the exclusion, you must have the work approved by the local building department and file a claim form with your county tax assessor.
• If you live in Berkeley or El Cerrito, the cities offer a transfer tax rebate if you retrofit your home within a year of buying it. You can also borrow money to make the repairs without paying any upfront costs. Homeowners or contractors must file a Seismic Retrofit Verification & Refund Application after the seismic work is completed.
• If you participate in an Earthquake Brace + Bolt grant program that is FEMA funded, that grant would not be taxable. 
• Check with your local city/county to find out if similar assistance is available in your area.

A. CRMP's grant programs, Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB) and Earthquake Soft-Story (ESS) offer grants to eligible homeowners.

• Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing, offered in cities such as Berkeley, which allows property owners to borrow money to pay seismic retrofits and spread the cost of the upgrade over a period of time through a special assessment on their property tax bill.
• Low-income and fixed income residents of the San Francisco Bay Area may be eligible for grants specifically designated for home earthquake strengthening through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's block grant program. For more information, call (510) 577-6004.
• For recently-purchased homes, there are transfer tax Rebates: The cities of Berkeley and El Cerrito offer rebates or refunds on a percentage of your home’s transfer tax if you complete a voluntary seismic retrofit of your residential property.

A. How your house is built and its foundation type determine what type of retrofit your house needs. Houses with a raised concrete perimeter foundation that lack sill plate anchors and/or cripple wall bracing may follow existing state building code (CEBC, Chapter A3) or standard plan sets, which also provide step-by-step directions. Download plan sets on our Resources page. You can also learn more about ways to strengthen your house.

A. It means that the framing of the house’s first floor is composed of beams and cross-beams made of wood. You should be able to look under the house to see if wooden beams and cross-beams support the first floor.

A. A cripple wall is a less-than-full-heights wall between the house foundation and the base of the first floor of the house.

The framing of the first floor of the house is composed of beams and cross-breams made of wood. You should be able to see this by looking under the house to see if the first floor is supported by wood framing.

A: A continuous perimeter foundation is typically concrete and continuous under the exterior walls of a dwelling. Partial perimeter foundations or unreinforced masonry need to be evaluated by a design professional.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Map Service Center (MSC) is the official public source for flood hazard information produced in support of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

You can visit FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center online to search by your property address to determine if your home is located in a SFHA.

A. For properties located in a FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), receiving a FEMA-funded earthquake retrofit grant of $5,000 or more, FEMA requires compliance with the National Flood Insurance Program regulations. Because CRMP's Earthquake Soft-Story (ESS) grants, and some Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB) grants are FEMA-funded grants, affected program participants must comply with these regulations.

To comply with these FEMA regulations, EBB and ESS grant recipients, when the grant amount is $5,000 or more and their house is located in a SFHA, must maintain flood insurance on the property and provide proof of coverage to CRMP. Additionally, grant recipients must complete, notarize, and record the “Acknowledgement of Conditions for Mitigation of Property in a Special Flood Hazard Area with FEMA Grant Funds” Form. 

• SPECIAL FLOOD HAZARD AREA CONDITIONS FORM (fillable PDF)

The completed Form must be:

1. Notarized by a notary of the homeowner's choosing;

2. Recorded with the applicable County Recording Office; and,

3. Proof of the recorded document must be uploaded to CRMP through the Homeowner Dashboard to receive authorization to proceed with a retrofit and to receive grant funding.

A. The SFHA Acknowledgement of Conditions Form titled “Acknowledgement of Conditions for Mitigation of Property in a Special Flood Hazard Area with FEMA Grant Funds” is a fillable form that must be completed, notarized, recorded and submitted to CRMP to receive authorization to proceed with a residential earthquake retrofit. Homeowners can fill out the form electronically or print a blank form and fill it out.

NOTE: Do not sign the form until you are instructed to do so by a notary of your selection.

If you live in a Special Flood Hazard Area and have a mortgage on your home, you may already have flood insurance as a condition of your mortgage. Before receiving an ESS grant payment, you must provide a copy of your flood insurance policy to CRMP.

• SPECIAL FLOOD HAZARD AREA CONDITIONS FORM (fillable PDF)

• "Work is in general accordance with FEMA P-1100."

A. We recommend you learn how to protect yourself and what questions you should ask before hiring a contractor. This information is available from the Contractors State License Board.

In selecting a contractor, the California State License Board recommends that you make sure the contractor has a license, get at least three written bids on the project, ask for personal recommendations, verify the contractor's business location and telephone number, and verify the contractor's workers compensation and commercial general liability insurance coverage. You can search for contractors in the Contractor Directory on the ESS website.

A. It is common and accepted practice for seismic improvements to be planned by a licensed contractor, civil or structural engineer, or architect.

Many cities now have “prescriptive or standard plans,” which an experienced, licensed contractor or homeowner-builder can use in planning the retrofit. Engineered plans are advisable or may be required in the following situations:

• Large, complex, multilevel houses.
• Stilt houses on steep hillsides.
• Houses with large openings in lower level walls.
• Houses with serious foundation and/or drainage problems.

A. You may follow personal recommendations from friends and family, or consider online directories or paid advertisements. Search for licensed contractors in the Contractor Directory on the Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB) website. Contractors on the EBB list have completed FEMA training for retrofits of houses with raised continuous perimeter foundations and cripple walls.

Before you make your final decision and sign a contract, the California Seismic Commission and the Contractor’s State License Board (CSLB) recommends:

• Getting at least three written bids on the project.
• Checking at least three customer references.
• Verifying the contractor's business location and telephone number.
• Ensuring the contractor has a license and the legally required bond.
• Verifying the contractor's workers’ compensation and commercial general liability insurance coverage.

A. The California Seismic Safety Commission recommends that contractors be paid in installments as the work is completed. Other tips from the Commission include:

• Keep the down payment low. By law, a down payment on a home improvement contract cannot exceed 10% of the contract price or $1,000, whichever is less.
• Wait to pay the final bill until the local building department has signed off on the work and you have conducted a final review of the work to make sure it is complete and correct.

You can also check the California State Contractors State License Board(CSLB) for your contractor’s information and to verify they are licensed.

A. Knowing what to do, where to do it, and how to do it are important. A good plan is the place to begin. Often DIY homeowners choose to undertake some of the preparation and follow-up work themselves to save some money.

The details of solving tricky situations under a house are not covered in most do-it-yourself manuals. Making sure certain details are handled properly often makes a big difference in the strength of the retrofit. Prior to the installation of a retrofit, a good plan is needed. Prescriptive Plan Sets are available for certain types of houses.

For a raised foundation property, a seismic retrofit involves bolting or bolting and bracing the house to its foundation in compliance with California Existing Building Code Chapter A3. Remember, most foundation repairs require a building permit and plans to start work.

• City of San Leandro has an earthquake strengthening program with valuable DIY handbooks and tools.
• Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) standard plan for retrofits is available for San Francisco Bay Area residents.
• The City and County of Los Angeles and many of its surrounding cities accept the LA Standard Plan Set #1. Download them on our Resources page.

Other types of retrofits, such as post and pier or living space over garage, require an engineered retrofit and may be too complicated for a do-it-yourselfer to complete.

A. There are standard sets of plans made available to homeowners and contractors by local governments, to use as construction documents for the seismic retrofit of wood-frame, single-family dwellings. These plan sets include specifications, details, and instructions for installing foundation anchorage and cripple-wall bracing (for walls shorter than four feet). A registered design professional (architect or engineer) must design any modifications to plan-set provisions.