Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB) Program Guide: Grants, Eligibility, and How to Apply

What Is the Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB) Program?

The Earthquake Brace + Bolt program is California’s flagship grant initiative for residential seismic retrofitting. It provides homeowners with grants of up to $3,000 to help cover the cost of a standard seismic retrofit, specifically foundation bolting and cripple wall bracing on pre-1980 homes with raised foundations.

The program was created to address a simple but alarming reality: tens of thousands of California homes sit on foundations that were never designed to handle a major earthquake. These homes, built before modern seismic codes took effect, can slide off their foundations or collapse at structural weak points during strong shaking. The damage from even a moderate earthquake can cost $75,000 to $150,000 or more to repair.

A standard brace-and-bolt retrofit typically costs $3,000 to $7,000 in the Bay Area, meaning the EBB grant can cover a substantial portion of the total project cost. For income-eligible households, supplemental grants can push total funding to $10,000, potentially covering the entire retrofit.

The Organizations Behind EBB

Understanding who runs the EBB program helps you navigate the process and know where to direct questions.

California Residential Mitigation Program (CRMP)

CRMP is the nonprofit organization that administers the EBB program on a day-to-day basis. They manage the registration portal, verify eligibility, coordinate with contractors, and process grant reimbursements. When you create an account, register your home, or submit documentation, you are interacting with CRMP’s systems and staff.

California Earthquake Authority (CEA)

CEA is the publicly managed, not-for-profit entity that funds the EBB program. CEA also provides the majority of residential earthquake insurance policies in California, covering roughly 70% of the market. The connection between CEA’s insurance role and its grant funding is logical: retrofitted homes suffer less earthquake damage, which means fewer and smaller insurance claims. By funding retrofits, CEA reduces its future claims exposure while helping homeowners protect their properties.

CEA also administers the supplemental grant program for income-eligible households, which adds up to $7,000 on top of the standard $3,000 EBB grant.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

FEMA has contributed funding to the EBB program through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) and other federal disaster mitigation initiatives. Federal funding has helped expand the number of eligible ZIP codes and increase the total number of grants available each year.

How Much Grant Money Is Available?

The EBB program offers two tiers of financial assistance.

Standard EBB Grant: Up to $3,000

Every eligible homeowner who is selected and completes a qualifying retrofit receives a grant of up to $3,000. This is a reimbursement grant, meaning you pay for the retrofit upfront and receive the grant payment after the work is complete and verified.

The $3,000 amount covers a significant portion of a standard brace-and-bolt retrofit. For many Bay Area homes, the out-of-pocket cost after the grant is $1,000 to $4,000, depending on the home’s size and crawl space conditions.

CEA Supplemental Grant: Up to $7,000

Income-eligible households can apply for an additional supplemental grant of up to $7,000. To qualify, your annual household income must be $94,480 or less (this threshold is adjusted periodically based on area median income data).

If you qualify for both the standard and supplemental grants, your total grant funding can reach $10,000. Since the average brace-and-bolt retrofit costs $3,000 to $7,000, this means income-eligible households may have their entire retrofit covered by grant funding.

The supplemental grant application is a separate process from the standard EBB registration. You apply through the CRMP website after receiving your standard EBB registration confirmation.

Eligibility Requirements in Detail

Not every home qualifies for the EBB program. The eligibility criteria are specific and verified before you receive a registration confirmation.

Home Must Be Built Before 1980

The EBB program targets homes built before modern seismic building codes took full effect. California significantly strengthened its residential seismic requirements after the 1971 San Fernando earthquake and again after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Homes built before 1980 are the most likely to lack proper foundation connections and structural bracing.

If your home was built in 1980 or later, it likely already has foundation bolts and may have been built to code standards that address the vulnerabilities the EBB program targets.

Raised Foundation (Crawl Space)

Your home must sit on a raised foundation with a crawl space between the ground and the first floor. This is the foundation type most vulnerable to earthquake damage, because the wooden framing of the house rests on top of a concrete foundation wall. Without anchor bolts, the house can slide off during shaking.

Homes on slab foundations (where the concrete floor sits directly on the ground) are not eligible because the failure mode that brace-and-bolt retrofits address does not apply to them.

Located in an Eligible ZIP Code

The EBB program uses a ZIP code eligibility system based on seismic risk mapping. Not every California ZIP code qualifies, but the list is extensive and includes most areas with significant earthquake risk. Many Bay Area ZIP codes are eligible, covering communities across San Francisco, the East Bay, the Peninsula, the South Bay, and the North Bay.

You can check your ZIP code eligibility on the EBB website at earthquakebracebolt.com. The eligible ZIP code list is updated periodically as new seismic risk data becomes available and as funding allows expansion to additional areas.

Owner-Occupied Primary Residence

The home must be your primary residence. As of recent program updates, the EBB program has expanded to include rental properties and non-owner-occupied homes in some cases, but the core program remains focused on owner-occupied primary residences. Check the current year’s program rules for the latest eligibility guidelines.

Not a Mobile or Manufactured Home

Mobile homes and manufactured housing are not eligible for the EBB program. These structures have different foundation systems and seismic vulnerabilities that require different retrofit approaches.

No Previous EBB Retrofit

If your home has already been retrofitted through the EBB program, it is not eligible for a second grant. This is a one-time benefit per property.

Qualifying ZIP Codes: Bay Area Coverage

The Bay Area is well represented in the EBB program’s eligible ZIP code list, which makes sense given the region’s seismic risk. The Hayward Fault runs through the East Bay, the San Andreas Fault traces the Peninsula, and the Calaveras Fault crosses the South Bay. These active fault lines put hundreds of thousands of homes at elevated risk.

While we cannot list every eligible ZIP code here (the list changes periodically), the following Bay Area counties have had significant ZIP code representation in the program:

• Santa Clara County: San Jose, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Los Gatos, Saratoga, Cupertino, Campbell, Los Altos, Milpitas
• Alameda County: Oakland, Berkeley, Fremont, Hayward, Union City, Newark, San Leandro, Alameda
• San Mateo County: San Mateo, Redwood City, Daly City, South San Francisco, Burlingame, Foster City
• San Francisco County: Most San Francisco ZIP codes have historically qualified
• Contra Costa County: Richmond, Concord, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, Martinez
• Santa Cruz County: Santa Cruz, Watsonville, Scotts Valley

To confirm your specific ZIP code’s eligibility, visit earthquakebracebolt.com and enter your address. The eligibility check is free and takes less than a minute.

Step-by-Step Application Process

The EBB application process is structured and follows a specific timeline. Here is what to expect at each stage.

Step 1: Check Eligibility and Create an Account

Visit earthquakebracebolt.com and enter your address to check ZIP code eligibility. If your ZIP code qualifies, create an account with your name, address, contact information, and basic property details (year built, foundation type).

This step is available year-round, though registration for the current cycle typically opens in the fall.

Step 2: Register Your Home

When registration opens (usually September through November, though dates vary by year), log into your account and formally register your home. Registration is first-come, first-served, and spots are limited based on available funding. In past years, registration has filled within days or weeks, so acting promptly is important.

During registration, you provide additional property details and confirm that your home meets eligibility requirements. CRMP verifies your information against property records.

Step 3: Receive Registration Confirmation

If your registration is accepted, you receive a confirmation email along with a list of EBB-registered contractors in your area. This confirmation reserves your grant, but you must complete the retrofit within the specified timeframe (typically within the following calendar year) to receive payment.

Step 4: Select an EBB-Registered Contractor

From the list of registered contractors provided by the program, select one to perform your retrofit. You are encouraged to get multiple bids. All EBB-registered contractors have completed program-specific training and know the required retrofit standards and documentation procedures.

Important: the retrofit must be performed by an EBB-registered contractor. Work done by a non-registered contractor will not qualify for grant reimbursement, even if the work itself meets code requirements.

Step 5: Complete the Retrofit

Your selected contractor performs the brace-and-bolt retrofit. For most homes, this involves:

• Installing anchor bolts through the mudsill into the concrete foundation
• Attaching structural plywood to the interior face of cripple walls (if present)
• Installing framing connectors between the cripple wall top plate and the floor framing above
• Replacing ventilation screens where plywood covers existing crawl space vents

The construction work typically takes 1 to 3 days for a standard retrofit. You can remain in your home during the work.

Step 6: Submit Documentation

After the retrofit is complete, your contractor submits completion documentation to CRMP, including photographs, permit verification, and a signed completion certificate. Some documentation requirements fall on the homeowner, such as confirming satisfaction with the work.

Step 7: Receive Reimbursement

Once CRMP reviews and approves your documentation, the grant payment is issued. Reimbursement typically arrives within 4 to 8 weeks of documentation approval. The payment is sent directly to you as the homeowner.

Timeline: Registration to Reimbursement

The full EBB process, from initial registration to receiving your grant check, follows a timeline of approximately 6 to 12 months:

Phase	Typical Duration
Registration opens	September to November (varies by year)
Registration confirmation	2 to 6 weeks after registration
Contractor selection and bidding	2 to 4 weeks
Permitting	2 to 8 weeks (varies by city)
Construction	1 to 5 days
Documentation submission	1 to 2 weeks after construction
Reimbursement processing	4 to 8 weeks after documentation approval

The total elapsed time depends heavily on your local permitting timeline and contractor availability. Bay Area cities vary significantly in permit turnaround times. Some cities process retrofit permits in two weeks; others take two months.

What the Retrofit Includes

The EBB-standard retrofit is a specific scope of work defined by the program. It addresses the two most common failure points in pre-1980 raised-foundation homes.

Foundation Bolting

Foundation bolting connects the wooden mudsill (the bottom plate of the house’s framing) to the concrete foundation wall using anchor bolts or steel plate connectors. In older homes, the mudsill was often simply placed on top of the concrete with no mechanical connection. During an earthquake, the lateral forces can push the house sideways off the foundation. Foundation bolting prevents this failure mode.

The process involves drilling through the existing mudsill and into the concrete foundation, then installing code-compliant bolts. Depending on the home’s size and foundation layout, a typical retrofit requires 15 to 40 anchor bolts.

Cripple Wall Bracing

Cripple walls are the short wood-framed walls that span the space between the top of the concrete foundation and the underside of the first floor. In homes built on sloped lots or with raised crawl spaces, these walls can be one to four feet tall. Because they are short and unbraced, they are structurally weak. During earthquake shaking, unbraced cripple walls can collapse, dropping the first floor to the ground.

Cripple wall bracing involves installing structural plywood sheathing on the interior face of these walls. The plywood is nailed with a specific pattern that creates a shear wall, capable of resisting the lateral forces of an earthquake. Framing connectors (also called hold-downs and shear transfer ties) complete the load path from the floor above through the cripple wall to the foundation below.

Ventilation Replacement

Where structural plywood covers existing crawl space ventilation openings, the EBB retrofit includes installing replacement ventilation screens to maintain adequate airflow under the house. Proper crawl space ventilation prevents moisture buildup that can cause wood rot and mold.

What the EBB Grant Does NOT Cover

Understanding the program’s limitations helps you plan appropriately.

Soft Story Retrofits

Soft story conditions, where the ground floor is structurally weaker than upper floors due to large garage openings or open parking areas, require different engineering solutions (typically steel moment frames) that are outside the EBB program’s scope. California’s separate Earthquake Soft-Story (ESS) program covers this type of retrofit with grants of up to $13,000. For a detailed overview, see our soft story retrofit guide.

Foundation Replacement

If your concrete foundation is severely deteriorated, cracked, or insufficient, the EBB program does not cover foundation replacement or repair. Foundation work beyond standard bolting requires separate engineering and construction, with costs typically ranging from $20,000 to $80,000 or more. If you are dealing with foundation issues, our guide to foundation cracks in Bay Area homes covers the assessment and repair process.

Chimney Bracing or Removal

Unreinforced masonry chimneys are a common earthquake hazard, but their bracing or removal is not included in the EBB retrofit scope.

Additional Structural Upgrades

Any work beyond the standard brace-and-bolt scope, such as floor-to-wall connections, roof-to-wall connections, or shear wall installation in living areas, is not covered by the EBB grant. These upgrades may be recommended by a structural engineer for homes with additional vulnerabilities. Learn more about the full range of seismic upgrade options on our seismic retrofitting service page.

Choosing an EBB-Registered Contractor

Selecting the right contractor is one of the most important decisions in the EBB process. Here are key considerations.

Verify Registration Status

Every contractor on the EBB program’s list has completed the required training, but registration status can change. Confirm that your contractor is currently registered before signing a contract. You can verify this through the EBB website or by contacting CRMP directly.

Get Multiple Bids

The EBB program encourages homeowners to obtain at least three bids from registered contractors. While the scope of work is standardized, pricing can vary based on the contractor’s overhead, crew size, and how they handle access challenges in your specific crawl space.

Typical bid ranges for a standard brace-and-bolt retrofit in the Bay Area:

• Foundation bolting only (no cripple walls): $1,500 to $4,000
• Full brace-and-bolt retrofit: $3,000 to $7,000
• Complex access conditions (tight crawl spaces, hillside lots, limited entry points): add $1,000 to $3,000

All pricing is approximate, reflects 2026 Bay Area market conditions, and can vary based on project scope, site conditions, and material choices.

Ask About Experience and Volume

Contractors who perform a high volume of EBB retrofits tend to be more efficient, which can translate to lower costs and faster completion. Ask how many EBB retrofits the contractor has completed and whether they are familiar with the permitting process in your specific city.

Check Documentation Practices

One of the most common sources of delays in receiving your EBB reimbursement is incomplete or incorrect documentation. Ask your contractor about their documentation process. Experienced EBB contractors handle most of the paperwork and photograph requirements as a standard part of their workflow.

Custom Home as an EBB-Registered Contractor

Custom Home Design and Build is an EBB-registered contractor. Our team has completed the program’s training requirements and is experienced with the documentation and verification process. We perform EBB retrofits throughout the Bay Area, from San Jose and Fremont to Palo Alto and Los Gatos. To learn more about our approach and full seismic retrofitting services, visit our service page or contact us directly.

Combining the EBB Grant with CEA Insurance Discounts

The EBB grant is just one financial benefit of completing a seismic retrofit. When you combine it with earthquake insurance savings, the math becomes even more compelling.

The CEA Retrofit Discount

The California Earthquake Authority offers premium discounts of up to 25% for homeowners with qualifying seismic retrofits. If you pay $2,500 per year for earthquake insurance, that discount saves you $625 annually. Over five years, that totals $3,125 in savings, more than the cost of many standard retrofits.

For a complete breakdown of how insurance discounts work with retrofits, see our guide on earthquake insurance and retrofit discounts in California.

The Combined Financial Picture

Consider a Bay Area homeowner with a pre-1960 home that needs a full brace-and-bolt retrofit:

Item	Amount
Retrofit cost	$5,500
EBB grant	-$3,000
Out-of-pocket cost	$2,500
Annual CEA insurance savings (25% of $2,000 premium)	$500/year
Payback period (out-of-pocket / annual savings)	5 years

After year five, the insurance savings become pure net benefit. Over 10 years, this homeowner saves $5,000 in insurance premiums alone, in addition to the protection against earthquake damage that could cost $75,000 to $150,000 or more. For a deeper dive into the financial return on retrofitting, see our ROI analysis of earthquake retrofitting.

Income-Eligible Households

For households that qualify for the supplemental grant, the math is even more dramatic. With $10,000 in total grant funding, the retrofit may be fully covered. Every dollar of insurance savings from that point forward is pure financial gain.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Homeowners who miss out on EBB benefits often make one of these avoidable errors.

Missing the Registration Window

Registration is time-limited and fills up. In past years, all available spots were claimed within days. Set a reminder for September and check the EBB website regularly as the registration window approaches.

Hiring a Non-Registered Contractor

This is the most expensive mistake. If your contractor is not EBB-registered, you will not receive the grant, even if the retrofit work is technically correct. Always verify registration status before signing a contract.

Waiting Too Long to Schedule the Retrofit

After registration confirmation, you have a limited window (typically the following calendar year) to complete the retrofit and submit documentation. Bay Area contractors are busy, and scheduling can take weeks or months. Begin contacting contractors as soon as you receive your confirmation.

Incomplete Documentation

Grant reimbursement requires specific photographs, permit records, and completion certificates. Work with a contractor who is experienced with EBB documentation requirements. Missing a single photo or form can delay your reimbursement by months.

Not Applying for the Supplemental Grant

If your household income is $94,480 or less, you may qualify for an additional $7,000 in grant funding. The supplemental application is a separate process that some homeowners overlook. Check your eligibility and apply if you qualify.

Assuming Your Home Does Not Qualify

Many homeowners assume their home is too new, too old, or in the wrong location to qualify. The eligibility criteria are broader than most people expect, and the ZIP code list includes communities throughout the Bay Area. Take two minutes to check your address on the EBB website before assuming you are not eligible.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the EBB grant taxable?

The EBB grant is generally not considered taxable income because it is a disaster mitigation reimbursement. However, tax rules can change, and individual circumstances vary. Consult a tax professional for guidance specific to your situation.

Can I combine the EBB grant with a home remodel?

Yes. Many homeowners time their seismic retrofit to coincide with a kitchen remodel, bathroom renovation, or other construction project. The EBB grant applies only to the seismic retrofit portion of the work, but combining projects can reduce overall costs by sharing contractor mobilization, permitting, and general conditions expenses. Your EBB-registered contractor handles the retrofit scope, while the rest of the work can be managed by any qualified contractor.

What if my home needs more than a standard brace-and-bolt retrofit?

If your home has a soft story condition, severe foundation deterioration, or other structural issues beyond what the standard EBB scope addresses, the grant still covers the brace-and-bolt portion of the work. You would simply need to address the additional work separately, potentially through the ESS grant program (for soft story conditions) or through private funding.

For a comprehensive overview of all retrofit types and their costs, read our seismic retrofit guide for Bay Area homes.

When does registration open for the next cycle?

Registration typically opens in September or October each year. The exact date varies. The best way to stay informed is to create an account on earthquakebracebolt.com and sign up for email notifications. CRMP announces the registration date several weeks in advance.

Take the First Step

The EBB program represents a rare opportunity: government funding that directly offsets the cost of protecting your home and family from earthquake damage. Combined with CEA insurance discounts, a qualifying seismic retrofit can cost little to nothing out of pocket over time.

If your home was built before 1980 and sits on a raised foundation, you owe it to yourself to check your eligibility. The registration process takes minutes, the retrofit takes days, and the protection lasts the life of your home.

Ready to explore your options? Contact Custom Home Design and Build for a seismic retrofit consultation. As an EBB-registered contractor, we can assess your home’s needs, walk you through the grant process, and complete the work to program standards. Whether you are pursuing the EBB grant or planning a standalone retrofit, our team is here to help you protect your Bay Area home.