learnearthquake retrofitsstate program rules, read october 2026boyenga team at compass
Earthquake retrofits, and the grants that help pay
California’s Earthquake Brace + Bolt program offers up to $3,000 toward bracing and bolting an older house on a raised foundation, and 78 of the 79 ZIP codes we cover are on its 2025 list. Here’s who qualifies, what the work involves and where it fits when you buy or sell.
- base grant$3,000up to, for a brace and bolt
- income-eligible+$7,000up to, at $94,480 household income or less
- typical cost$3,000–$7,000licensed contractor, per the program
- local ZIP codes78 of 79on the 2025 eligible list
the work
What a brace-and-bolt retrofit is
- Brace the cripple wallsThe short wood walls between the foundation and the first floor get plywood or OSB sheathing so they don’t fold over in shaking.
- Bolt the house downAnchor bolts or foundation plates tie the wood frame to the concrete foundation so the house can’t slide off it.
- Bolt-only housesA house whose frame sits right on the foundation wall, with no cripple wall, gets the bolting without the bracing.
- Water heaterThe water heater has to be strapped and braced as part of the work.
- To codeThe work follows Chapter A3 of the California Existing Building Code, done by a licensed contractor or by the owner.
does it fit
Does your house qualify?
- Built before 1980Only houses built before 1980 qualify for Earthquake Brace + Bolt.
- On a raised foundationWood-framed, with a crawl space under at least part of the lowest floor. Houses on a concrete slab, including most Eichlers, have no crawl space to brace.
- Short cripple wallsBrace and bolt covers cripple walls about 4 feet tall or shorter; taller crawl-space walls need an engineered design.
- Level or gently sloped lotThe program covers houses on level ground or a slight slope, not houses on steep lots or on poles.
- In an eligible ZIP codeEligibility is by ZIP code, and the list is set each year.
- Register firstRegistration opens for a limited time each year, grants are first come, first served, and the work can’t start before you’re accepted.
The same program runs Earthquake Soft-Story: up to $13,000 for houses built before 2000 with living space over the garage, no more than two stories, in eligible ZIP codes.
zip codes
Which local ZIP codes are on the 2025 list
Every ZIP code we have a page for, checked against the program’s 2025 list for Northern California. Eligibility goes by ZIP code only; the city names are a guide.
| ZIP code | area | county | on the 2025 list |
|---|---|---|---|
| 94002 | Belmont | San Mateo | yes |
| 94005 | Brisbane | San Mateo | yes |
| 94010 | Burlingame and Hillsborough | San Mateo | yes |
| 94014 | Daly City and Colma | San Mateo | yes |
| 94015 | Daly City, Westlake | San Mateo | yes |
| 94025 | Menlo Park | San Mateo | yes |
| 94027 | Atherton | San Mateo | yes |
| 94028 | Portola Valley | San Mateo | yes |
| 94030 | Millbrae | San Mateo | yes |
| 94061 | Redwood City, central and south | San Mateo | yes |
| 94062 | Redwood City west and Woodside | San Mateo | yes |
| 94063 | Redwood City east | San Mateo | yes |
| 94065 | Redwood Shores | San Mateo | yes |
| 94066 | San Bruno | San Mateo | yes |
| 94070 | San Carlos | San Mateo | yes |
| 94080 | South San Francisco | San Mateo | yes |
| 94303 | East Palo Alto | San Mateo | yes |
| 94401 | San Mateo, north and downtown | San Mateo | yes |
| 94402 | San Mateo, west and south | San Mateo | yes |
| 94403 | San Mateo, south and east | San Mateo | yes |
| 94404 | Foster City | San Mateo | yes |
| 94022 | north Los Altos | Santa Clara | yes |
| 94024 | south Los Altos | Santa Clara | yes |
| 94040 | Mountain View, south | Santa Clara | yes |
| 94041 | Mountain View, central | Santa Clara | yes |
| 94043 | Mountain View, north | Santa Clara | yes |
| 94085 | Sunnyvale, north | Santa Clara | yes |
| 94086 | Sunnyvale, central | Santa Clara | yes |
| 94087 | Sunnyvale, south | Santa Clara | yes |
| 94089 | Sunnyvale, north and bayfront | Santa Clara | yes |
| 94301 | Palo Alto, central and north | Santa Clara | yes |
| 94303 | Palo Alto east and East Palo Alto | Santa Clara | yes |
| 94304 | Palo Alto, research park and foothills | Santa Clara | yes |
| 94305 | Stanford campus | Santa Clara | yes |
| 94306 | Palo Alto, south | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95002 | Alviso, San Jose | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95008 | Campbell | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95013 | Coyote | Santa Clara | no |
| 95014 | Cupertino | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95020 | Gilroy | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95030 | Los Gatos and Monte Sereno | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95032 | Los Gatos | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95033 | Los Gatos mountains | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95035 | Milpitas | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95037 | Morgan Hill | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95046 | San Martin | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95050 | Santa Clara, central | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95051 | Santa Clara, west | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95054 | Santa Clara, north | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95070 | Saratoga | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95110 | San Jose, central, toward the airport | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95111 | South San Jose, Monterey Road | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95112 | San Jose, Japantown and Naglee Park | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95113 | Downtown San Jose | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95116 | East San Jose, Mayfair | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95117 | West San Jose, near Campbell | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95118 | Cambrian and Branham, San Jose | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95119 | Santa Teresa, San Jose | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95120 | Almaden Valley, San Jose | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95121 | Evergreen, San Jose | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95122 | East San Jose, Tully Road | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95123 | Blossom Valley, San Jose | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95124 | Cambrian, San Jose | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95125 | Willow Glen, San Jose | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95126 | Rose Garden, San Jose | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95127 | Alum Rock, San Jose | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95128 | West San Jose, Winchester | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95129 | West San Jose, near Cupertino | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95130 | West San Jose, Westgate | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95131 | North San Jose | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95132 | Berryessa, San Jose | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95133 | San Jose, northeast | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95134 | North San Jose, Tasman | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95135 | Evergreen foothills, San Jose | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95136 | South San Jose, Blossom Valley | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95138 | Silver Creek, San Jose | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95139 | South San Jose, southern tip | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95140 | Mount Hamilton | Santa Clara | yes |
| 95148 | Evergreen, San Jose | Santa Clara | yes |
From “2025 EBB ZIP Codes in Northern California” (California Residential Mitigation Program). Not on the list: 95013 (Coyote). The list is updated from year to year, so check the program site before you register.
buying and selling
Where it comes up in a sale
- Selling a house built before 1960For a wood-frame house built before 1960, California sellers must give buyers the Homeowner’s Guide to Earthquake Safety and disclose known weaknesses, such as a foundation that isn’t bolted or cripple walls that aren’t braced.
- Water heater at saleCalifornia requires the water heater to be braced or strapped, and sellers certify it in writing.
- Buying an older houseAsk your home inspector to look at the foundation bolts and cripple walls in the crawl space, and get a contractor’s or engineer’s estimate before you remove contingencies.
- InsuranceEarthquake insurance is a separate policy. Ask insurers whether a completed retrofit lowers the premium; the California Earthquake Authority offers discounts for some retrofitted houses.
questions
Questions we hear
Is the grant only for low-income homeowners?
No. Any homeowner whose house qualifies can get up to $3,000. Households with income of $94,480 or less can also apply for a supplemental grant of up to $7,000, as funds allow.
Does a retrofit make a house earthquake-proof?
No. It helps keep the house on its foundation and the cripple walls from collapsing, which can prevent some of the costliest damage. The program asks homeowners to acknowledge that.
When can I sign up?
Registration opens for a limited time each year, and the program site has a form to be notified when it does. Grants go first come, first served.
My house is an Eichler. Does this apply?
Usually not. Eichlers sit on concrete slabs with radiant heat in the floor, so there’s no crawl space or cripple wall to brace.
Can I do the work myself?
Yes. The program allows owner-builders as well as licensed contractors from its directory, as long as the work meets the code chapter it follows.
sources
Where this comes from
- Earthquake Brace + Bolt retrofitCalifornia Residential Mitigation Program
- See if you qualifyCalifornia Residential Mitigation Program
- Program ZIP codesCalifornia Residential Mitigation Program
more to learn
Keep going
- Earthquake ZonesHomes in state liquefaction, landslide and fault zones, for 415 neighborhoods.
- Insurance LabWhich policies a California home needs, including earthquake coverage.
- Inspection DecoderWhat the findings in a California home inspection mean.
- Disclosure DecoderWhat each California disclosure means, including the earthquake guide.
- ZIP code guidesHomes, sales and neighborhoods by ZIP code across Santa Clara County.
Program details from the California Residential Mitigation Program’s website as read in October 2026 and its 2025 Northern California ZIP list. The Boyenga Team isn’t affiliated with the program; rules, amounts and eligible ZIP codes change, so confirm with the program before you register or hire a contractor.
talk to a property nerd
Buying or selling an older house?
We’ll help you read the disclosures and inspection reports, line up a contractor’s estimate for the foundation, and plan around a retrofit if the house needs one. Commissions are negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what’s included.
