Last week’s earthquake outside Santa Rosa may have gotten you thinking about seismically upgrading your home. If that’s the case, you may be eligible for a $3,000 grant to offset costs—and be able to significantly lower your earthquake insurance cost.
The California Earthquake Authority (CEA) has an Earthquake Brace + Bolt program which reimburses qualified homeowners for up to $3,000 if they complete a building code-compliant seismic retrofit. (The program is now offering additional funding above the $3,000 EBB grant to help low-income homeowners.) Seismic retrofits reduce risk for older homes, and the work takes only one or two days to complete. Cost typically runs from $3,000-$6,000.
Here’s how the program works: You submit an application, and program administrators will contact you if they’ll be accepting your application. From there, you can follow the steps to get the work done. Registration is open for 30 days a year, and the next registration window starts this October 18th.
To register, go to EarthquakeBraceBolt.com
The program has already helped more than 6,000 Californians retrofit their houses. If you’re a CEA policy holder, a big plus is that you may be able to reduce your earthquake insurance premium by completing the code-compliant retrofit. (Photo above courtesy Earthquake Brace + Bolt program)