Registration Opens October 15th for Earthquake Soft-Story Grants

Sacramento, CA — Starting today, qualified homeowners in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Pasadena, Berkeley, Oakland, as well as additional surrounding cities, can apply for grants to strengthen their homes against earthquake damage with up to $13,000 in financial assistance. The Earthquake Soft-Story (ESS) Program provides financial assistance to homeowners to complete a code-compliant seismic retrofit of their home. Homes that qualify for this program are owner-occupied single-family homes, built before 2000, with one story of living space over a garage. These structures are vulnerable to damage because they may not be able to withstand the lateral movement from earthquake shaking. Houses with this condition may be prone to partial or full collapse during an earthquake. Grants for homes with other earthquake vulnerabilities are periodically available.

Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) a Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is administered by the California Residential Mitigation Program (CRMP). Funds are limited, so homeowners are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. CRMP will accept registered homeowners into the program, by random selection, on a quarterly basis.

CRMP was created by the California Earthquake Authority (CEA) and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) in 2011 to help Californians strengthen their homes against earthquake damage through incentive programs. The first of these programs, Earthquake Brace + Bolt, has already awarded grants to more than 27,000 homeowners to complete a retrofit.

“The continued growth of the Earthquake Soft-Story (ESS) program, alongside our Earthquake Brace + Bolt program, has enabled us to help even more Californians protect their homes from earthquake damage,” said Janiele Maffei, Chief Mitigation Officer for CEA. “Despite California’s ever-present earthquake risk, the state is home to many soft-story buildings that remain vulnerable. This program provides crucial support for retrofitting these structures, and we’re always looking for additional contractors to get trained and contribute to this important work.”

Beginning October 15th, 2024, eligible homeowners can apply for retrofit funding at www.EarthquakeSoftStory.com. Here they can also find detailed program information and program rules, select from a list of FEMA-trained, California licensed general contractors, and view the full list of eligible ZIP Codes. These ESS grants will be available to qualifying homeowners in 209 ZIP Codes. A full list of qualifying ZIP Codes can be found here.

Licensed contractors interested in participating should go to the Contractors and Licensed Design Professionals Section of the CRMP website where they can find all the resources they need to get started in the program. CRMP offers free FEMA training required for participation, free marketing materials, and free listings to general contractors with a valid California license (Type A or B).