In an Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB) seismic retrofit, the foundation is "bolted" to the frame of the house, and when there are walls called "cripple walls" in the crawl space under the house, they are "braced" with plywood. This helps prevent the house from sliding or toppling off of its foundation during an earthquake. An EBB seismic retrofit is only done on wood-framed, pre-1980 homes with a raised foundation.
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When EBB registration is open, you can complete the registration form online. You will be asked questions about your house, and your answers will determine if your home qualifies for an EBB retrofit grant of up to $3,000. Income eligible homeowners can also apply for an additional grant of up to $7,000 (for families with a yearly household income of or less).
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EBB House Model Demonstration
The Seismic Retrofit Work - Three Upgrades to Your Home
| Ways to fortify your home against earthquakes | |
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Brace Your Existing Cripple Walls (if You Have Them)If you have cripple walls, they carry the weight of your house. If they collapse during an earthquake, so will your home. Bracing your cripple walls strengthens them and may prevent your house from toppling. |
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Bolt Your Home to its FoundationMost earthquake damage actually occurs when unsecured buildings slide off of their foundation. Bolting your home down helps prevent sliding. |
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Strap Your Water HeaterProperly strapping the water heater reduces the likelihood of water and fire damage that could result if your water heater is detached from water and gas lines. |
Which Retrofit: Brace and Bolt? Or Bolt Only?
The EBB retrofit can be a "brace and bolt retrofit," or a "bolt-only" retrofit—it all depends on what's under your house.
Brace and Bolt Retrofit
If there are short (4 feet or less) walls between the wooden frame of the house and the foundation (known as "cripple walls") in the crawl space under the house, the house would need a "brace and bolt" retrofit. A brace and bolt retrofit involves bracing the cripple walls with sheets of plywood or OSB sheathing and bolting the foundation to the wood frame of the house.
- Bracing: plywood or OSB sheathing is attached along the cripple walls to strengthen the structure between the house and the crawl space.
- Bolting: large "anchor bolts" or foundation plates are used to bolt the wooden frame of the house to the concrete foundation, to strengthen the connection between the two.
See pre- and post-retrofit pictures of a Brace and Bolt Retrofit.
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Bolt-Only Retrofit
If the wood frame of the house sits directly on the foundation (known as a "stem wall") in the crawl space under the house, this house would need a "bolt-only" retrofit, where the foundation is bolted to the wood frame of the house.
- Bolting is when large anchor bolts or foundation plates are used to bolt the wooden frame of the house to the concrete foundation, to strengthen the connection between the two.
See pre- and post-retrofit pictures of a Bolt-Only Retrofit.
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Strapping the Water Heater
EBB requires that the water heater be properly strapped and braced. During past earthquakes, water heaters have moved or tipped over if they were not securely anchored to adjacent walls or floors. This movement has resulted in gas line or water line leaks, and electrical wiring damage, which can cause significant and costly property damage.
- Earthquake Country Alliance provides helpful resources for strapping and bracing your water heater.
Who Can I Hire to Complete the Retrofit? Can I Do it Myself?
Most homeowners decide to hire a contractor to do the retrofit work instead of doing it themselves. If you hire a contractor to do the retrofit work, you must choose from the Contractor Directory. Contractors in the Directory are trained by FEMA in seismic retrofitting, and are California-licensed general contractors. Learn more about what you should know before hiring a contractor.
If you are a homeowner who is an experienced "do-it-yourselfer," you can do the retrofit as an owner-builder. You will be the general contractor for your project and assume responsibility for the overall job. However, as an owner-builder, the value of your labor is not a recoverable cost and tools should be rented not purchased.
See our Do-it-Yourself Tips for more information about what you need to know before deciding to do your own retrofit.
Whether a contractor completes the work, or you do it yourself, an EBB retrofit must be done in compliance with California Existing Building Code (CEBC), Chapter A3. Chapter A3 is specific to light, wood-frame houses.
- Learn more about the EBB Program Rules.
- Visit our Contractor Resources page to learn more about California Existing Building Code (CEBC), Chapter A3 and approved plan sets that comply with CEBC, Chapter A3.
How Much Does a Typical Retrofit Cost?
A typical retrofit completed by a licensed contractor may cost between $3,000 and $7,000 depending on the location and size of the house, contractor fees, and the amount of materials and work involved. If you do the work yourself, a retrofit can cost less than $3,000.
Some home’s foundations may require more extensive work that can increase the cost of an earthquake retrofit.
- See EBB past participants' stories about their experiences completing a seismic retrofit with EBB.
Free marketing materials to help promote our CRMP programs
Explore and download free program marketing resources from CRMPTools.org to help spread the word in your community.
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Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB) Program
A. In an Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB) seismic retrofit, the foundation is "bolted" to the frame of the house, and when there are walls called "cripple walls" in the crawl space under the house, they are "braced" with plywood. This helps prevent the house from sliding or toppling off of its foundation during an earthquake. An EBB seismic retrofit is only done on wood-framed, pre-1980 homes with a raised foundation.
EBB program registration is open for a limited time each year. When open, you can complete the registration form online. You will be asked questions about your house, and your answers will determine if your home qualifies for an EBB retrofit grant.
A. The Earthquake Brace + Bolt program was created by the California Residential Mitigation Program (CRMP). Earthquake Brace + Bolt offers up to $3,000 for homeowners to seismically retrofit their houses. To be considered for participation in the program once registration opens, homeowners must meet certain qualification requirements and register.
A. We do not have a schedule of planned expansions, but program locations and ZIP Codes will be posted on the website. You can also sign up to receive CRMP program update emails.
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. 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. 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 you 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.”
A. Visit the FEMA Flood Map Service Center 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.
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. No. EBB does not cover any work done on chimneys; however, there are things you can do to repair damaged chimneys and minimize future damage and risk.
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 not currently requiring initial inspections for the program. To find out if your house qualifies you can contact one of the contractors on the Contractor Directory. The contractors on the list have taken the FEMA training for seismic rehabilitation of single family dwellings. Contractors typically provide this service for free as part of an estimate for the project.
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. You may qualify for the Supplemental Grant if:
- Your annual household income is or less;
- You indicated during registration that you meet the income eligibility requirements;
- You are accepted into the EBB program;
- You are selected on a first-come, first-served basis to participate based on available funds;
- You submit the Income Verification Form (IVF) provided by EBB within 30 days of acceptance into the EBB Program; and
- The EBB verifies your income with the IRS.
A. You'll be asked to complete a short list of questions about your house, such as when it was built, and if it has a crawl space. See the complete list of EBB Qualification Questions.