Worried about earthquakes?
If you live in California, the answer is probably a resounding “yes!”
And there is good reason to be concerned. There is a greater than 99 percent chance that California will experience a quake of a magnitude 6.7 or greater. For reference, that was the size of the 1994 Northridge earthquake, which resulted in losses of an estimated $20 billion and damaged more than 112,000 homes. Buildings designed before 1976 suffered the worst damage.
For homeowners at risk, an earthquake retrofit (also called a seismic retrofit) is one of the best improvements you can make. If you’ve been putting it off due to the costs, there is a program that can help.
The California Residential Mitigation Program (CRMP) offers two programs that offer grants of up to $3,000, with a supplemental grant for lower-income homeowners who qualify.
Does your home qualify for a grant?
There are two types of grants: the Earthquake Brace & Bolt (EBB) grant and the Earthquake Soft-Story (ESS) grant. Each has different criteria for qualification.
Base Criteria for all grants
To qualify for either grant:
- The applicant must own and live in the home
- The home must be in an eligible zip code
- The home must be built on level ground or on a slight slope
- The home must have wood-framed construction
Criteria for Earthquake Brace and Bolt
To qualify for an EBB grant, in addition to the base criteria:
- The home must have been built before 1980
- The home must have a raised foundation or crawl space under it
- The home has not already had a brace and bolt retrofit
Criteria for Earthquake Soft-Story
To qualify for an ESS grant, in addition to the base criteria:
- The home must have been built before 2000
- The home must have a living space over the garage
- The home has no more than two stories
- The home has not already had a soft-story retrofit
Supplemental Grant
For homeowners that qualify for an EBB, CRMP is also offering a supplemental grant to homeowners with a household annual income of $89,040 or less.
To qualify, all earners residing in the home must complete an electronic income verification form within 30 days of being accepted for an EBB grant.
Does Your Zip Code Qualify?
The program doesn’t serve every zip code. For instance, if live in one of the two San Rafael zip codes, your home is in a community that may qualify. If you live in one of Sacramento’s zip codes, you do not qualify to apply … yet. They add different zip codes in different years, so your zip code might be added next year. You can register on their website to receive an update regarding the adding of additional zip codes.
For complete information on the grant program, visit the California Residential Mitigation Program website.
If you’re interested in upgrading your home for seismic safety, we’d be happy to help.