Seismic retrofit in the Bay Area: what it costs

Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB) grants cover wood-framed houses built before 1980 with a raised foundation or crawl space, on level ground or a slight slope, in an eligible ZIP code, that have not had a brace and bolt retrofit. Houses the owner does not live in are now eligible too.

The EBB grant is up to $3,000. Owners who live in the house, are accepted into EBB and have an annual household income of $94,480 or less can apply for a Supplemental Grant on top, while funds last. In Northern California the Supplemental Grant adds at most $7,000 after the $3,000 EBB grant for a brace and bolt retrofit, and at most $2,800 for a bolt-only retrofit. EBB pays after the retrofit is done and approved.

The building permit must be dated after acceptance into EBB and must state that the work follows California Existing Building Code Chapter A3 or an accepted standard plan set. The work must include strapping and bracing the water heater.

An EBB contractor must be listed in the EBB Contractor Directory. If a bid is above $10,000, the owner must get at least one more bid from a directory contractor and give a reason for choosing the higher one. An owner-builder may do the work, but labor is not reimbursed.

The most recent EBB registration closed on October 17, 2025, after an extension. The 2026 press releases cover a contractor webinar and a program for apartment buildings, and announce no new EBB window as of November 1, 2026.

On November 1, 2026, the EBB program page offers a sign-up to be notified when registration opens, not a registration form.

The Earthquake Soft-Story program is open to owners who live in a qualifying house built before 2000 with living space over a garage, and who qualify for the program. It reimburses up to 75 percent of the retrofit cost, capped at $13,000, for work done to FEMA P-1100.

San José requires a building permit for an earthquake retrofit. Under EBB, the contractor applies for an online Brace & Bolt permit at SJPermits.org and shows a completed Standard Plan Set A at inspection. Outside EBB, a 1- or 2-story wood-framed house can get the permit over the counter with Plan Set A, unless it lies in flood zone A, AE, AH or AO, a geohazard or landslide zone, a wildland-urban interface area or a planned development district. The plans must be accurate, and a house on the Historic Resources Inventory first needs a Planning clearance.

Oakland requires a building permit before any seismic work. A state-licensed contractor with the matching classification and a current business tax certificate, or the owner, applies through the Online Permit Center. Every Oakland building permit also needs an approved debris recycling plan.

Berkeley gives new owners a transfer tax refund for voluntary seismic upgrades. The work and the refund request must be done within one year after the sale is recorded with Alameda County, and the permit scope should say "seismic safety work for transfer tax reduction". The refund can be combined with EBB.

The Berkeley rebate for seismic and home-hardening upgrades together is at most one third of the base 1.5 percent transfer tax. In 2026 the rate is 1.5 percent up to $1.7 million and 2.5 percent above.

CSLB says the down payment on a home improvement job should never exceed 10 percent of the price or $1,000, whichever is less. The one exception is a contractor with a blanket performance and payment bond on file with CSLB.

The risk. The U.S. Geological Survey puts the probability of at least one magnitude 6.7 or greater earthquake in the San Francisco Bay region before 2043 at 72 percent.

Housing age. Adding up the decades before 1980 in the 2024 American Community Survey gives 1,251,178 of 1,908,554 housing units in the San Francisco, Oakland and Fremont metro area, and 417,626 of 729,606 in the San Jose metro area. The count includes apartments.

Wall height. The brace and bolt retrofit covers crawl space walls of 4 feet or less. A house whose frame sits directly on a concrete stem wall needs bolting only.

Foundation type. A post and pier house needs a new continuous concrete footing, built from prescriptive plans or designed by an engineer.

Labor share. Labor makes up about 70 percent of the cost, between 60 and 90 percent. Crews of 2 to 4 people take 3 to 4 days on small jobs and 1 to 2 weeks on larger ones.

Program data. For 76 percent of raised foundation retrofits funded fully or in part by EBB grants, the cost was less than $7,000.

Chimneys. EBB does not pay for any work on chimneys, so a chimney repair is a separate line in the quote.

Bolt-only or brace and bolt, and the height of the crawl space walls on each side of the house.

The plan the work follows: Standard Plan Set A, Existing Building Code Chapter A3, FEMA P-1100 or an engineered plan, and whether an engineer is needed.

The number and type of anchor bolts or foundation plates, and the feet of wall braced with plywood or OSB.

Repairs found in the crawl space, such as a rotted sill plate, priced per foot with photos before the work.

Whether water heater strapping, the permit and the permit fee are in the price.

If you plan to apply for the grant: whether the contractor is in the EBB Contractor Directory, and whether the bid shows the full price before any grant.

Crawl space access, and how pipes, ducts and wiring in the way are handled.

The license number and classification, so you can look it up on the CSLB site.

The down payment, the payment schedule, the start date and the number of working days.