Earthquake Retrofit Grant Funding for Eligible Apartment Buildings
Owners of qualifying apartment buildings may receive funding for a seismic retrofit through the EMR Program.
Limited Grant Funding Available
Don’t wait— registration is limited!
Check EMR Grant Eligibility
ELIGIBILITY QUESTIONS
Owners of qualifying apartment buildings may be eligible if your building:
Is built before 1991
Has 5–20 residential units
Is wood-framed
Has "tuck-under" soft-story parking
Is located in an eligible city
Has received a retrofit notice from your city
ELIGIBLE CITIES
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Albany
Berkeley
Mill Valley
Oakland
San Francisco
San Jose
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Beverly Hills
Burbank
Culver City
Los Angeles
Pasadena
Santa Monica
Torrance
West Hollywood
HOW THE EMR PROGRAM WORKS
1Check Eligibility
Confirm your building meets program requirements.
2Register
Create an account and register your property.
3Submit Documentation
Provide the required documents for review.
4Complete Retrofit
Complete the seismic retrofit with a pre-approved design.
Learn More About the EBB Retrofit Grant Program
Strengthening your house is an important step in earthquake preparedness. With a stronger home, you can help protect your loved ones and your most valuable asset. Read our FAQs to learn more.
A. The cost of a retrofit depends on the type of construction, size, and location of the house, and the cost of materials and labor. The typical cost range for an EBB retrofit is between $3,000 and $7,000. Learn more about Earthquake Brace + Bolt retrofits.
A. EBB provides up to $3,000 toward a code-compliant seismic retrofit to a qualifying house. Additional supplemental grant money is available to qualifying income-eligible homeowners. These Supplemental Grants may pay up to 100 percent of the cost of the retrofit as long as funds are available.
A. EBB is also offering a Supplemental Grant to help income-eligible households pay up to 100% of the cost to seismically retrofit their homes. An “income-eligible household” is defined as a household with income at or below . These grants are based on available funds.
A. The program is presently funded with contributions from the California Earthquake Authority's Loss Mitigation Fund and with money from the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP).
A. 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:
- Earthquake Hazard: Hazard was identified using the United States Geological Survey (USGS) earthquake hazard map for California.
- 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.
As of January 15, 2025, EBB will be in over 1,100 high hazard ZIP Codes throughout California.
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. Contractors on the CRMP Contractor Directory have completed FEMA trainings for EBB and ESS retrofits.
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.
Sign Up for CRMP Retrofit Program Updates
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