Quick answer: Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB) is a California program that offers up to $3,000 toward a code-compliant seismic retrofit of an owner-occupied, wood-framed house built before 1980 on a raised foundation, in eligible ZIP codes. Income-eligible households can receive up to $7,000 more. The work bolts the house to its foundation and braces the short “cripple walls” in the crawl space — and in Los Angeles it needs a building permit issued after you are accepted into the program. APLA Construction (CA Lic #1136359) is a licensed general building contractor serving Los Angeles.
Earthquake Brace + Bolt is run by the California Residential Mitigation Program (CRMP), a joint program of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and the California Earthquake Authority. It pays part of the cost of a retrofit that strengthens the weakest point of many older California houses: the connection between the wood frame and the concrete foundation.
| Benefit | Amount | Who |
| Standard EBB grant | Up to $3,000 | Accepted homeowners with a qualifying house |
| Supplemental grant | Up to $7,000 more | Households earning $94,480 or less a year, first come, first served while funds last — CRMP says these may pay up to 100% of the retrofit cost |
Per CRMP’s program information and rules, the house must be:
The program rules add further conditions: the house must sit on level ground, which rules out many hillside homes; mobile and manufactured homes are not eligible; and a parcel that has already received an earthquake-retrofit grant does not qualify again.
Eligibility is set by ZIP code, not by city. On CRMP’s current Southern California list (the 2025 program-year list, revised March 10, 2025), 74 ZIP codes are listed under “Los Angeles”, and many San Fernando Valley and Westside neighborhoods appear again under their own names. Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Culver City, West Hollywood, Torrance and Long Beach are all on the list too. The table below copies the Los Angeles-area entries exactly as CRMP lists them:
| Area | Eligible ZIP codes on the 2025 EBB list |
|---|---|
| City of Los Angeles | |
| Los Angeles (as listed by CRMP) | 90001, 90002, 90003, 90004, 90005, 90006, 90007, 90008, 90010, 90011, 90012, 90013, 90014, 90015, 90016, 90017, 90018, 90019, 90020, 90021, 90022, 90023, 90024, 90025, 90026, 90027, 90028, 90029, 90031, 90032, 90033, 90034, 90035, 90036, 90037, 90038, 90039, 90040, 90041, 90042, 90043, 90044, 90045, 90046, 90047, 90048, 90049, 90056, 90057, 90058, 90059, 90061, 90062, 90063, 90064, 90065, 90066, 90067, 90068, 90069, 90071, 90077, 90089, 90094, 90095, 91040, 91342, 91344, 91345, 91352, 91405, 91601, 91604, 91607 |
| San Fernando Valley neighborhoods (listed separately) | |
| Canoga Park | 91303, 91304, 91306, 91307 |
| Chatsworth | 91311 |
| Encino | 91316, 91436 |
| Granada Hills | 91344 |
| North Hollywood | 91601, 91602, 91605, 91606, 91608 |
| Northridge | 91324, 91325, 91326, 91330, 91343 |
| Pacoima | 91331 |
| Panorama City | 91402 |
| Porter Ranch | 91326 |
| Reseda | 91335 |
| Sherman Oaks | 91401, 91403, 91411, 91423 |
| Sun Valley | 91352 |
| Sunland | 91040 |
| Sylmar | 91342 |
| Tarzana | 91335, 91364 |
| Tujunga | 91042 |
| Valley Village | 91601, 91607 |
| Van Nuys | 91316, 91401, 91402, 91405, 91406, 91411, 91436 |
| West Hills | 91307 |
| Winnetka | 91306 |
| Woodland Hills | 91302, 91356, 91367 |
| Westside and harbor neighborhoods (listed separately) | |
| Century City | 90067 |
| Marina del Rey | 90292 |
| Pacific Palisades | 90272 |
| Playa del Rey | 90291, 90293 |
| Playa Vista | 90094 |
| Venice | 90291, 90292, 90293 |
| Westchester | 90045 |
| San Pedro | 90731, 90732 |
| Wilmington | 90744 |
| Harbor City | 90710 |
| Nearby cities | |
| Alhambra | 91801, 91803 |
| Altadena | 91001 |
| Beverly Hills | 90210, 90211, 90212 |
| Burbank | 91501, 91502, 91504, 91505, 91506, 91507 |
| Culver City | 90230, 90232 |
| Glendale | 91201, 91202, 91203, 91204, 91205, 91206, 91207, 91208, 91210 |
| Hermosa Beach | 90254 |
| Inglewood | 90301, 90302, 90303, 90304, 90305 |
| La Cañada Flintridge | 91011 |
| Long Beach | 90740, 90747, 90755, 90802, 90803, 90804, 90805, 90806, 90807, 90810, 90813, 90814 |
| Malibu | 90263, 90265 |
| Manhattan Beach | 90266 |
| Pasadena | 91101, 91103, 91104, 91105, 91106, 91107 |
| Redondo Beach | 90277, 90278 |
| Santa Monica | 90401, 90402, 90403, 90404, 90405 |
| South Pasadena | 91030 |
| Topanga | 90290 |
| Torrance | 90501, 90502, 90503, 90504, 90505, 90506 |
| West Hollywood | 90046, 90048, 90069 |
Source: CRMP, 2025 EBB ZIP Codes in Southern California (PDF), read October 24, 2026; full list and ZIP search on CRMP’s Program ZIP Codes page. CRMP adds ZIP codes as funding allows and had not published a 2026 list when we checked. A ZIP code that is not on the list does not qualify, even if the city name appears elsewhere.
What the retrofit involves depends on what sits under your floor:
| What is under the house | Retrofit |
| Cripple walls 4 feet tall or less | Brace and bolt: plywood or OSB sheathing on the cripple walls, plus anchor bolts or foundation plates tying the frame to the foundation |
| Frame sitting directly on a stem wall | Bolt only |
| Cripple walls over 4 feet (up to 7 feet) | Plans prepared by a licensed engineer or architect rather than a standard plan set |
The retrofit must comply with Chapter A3 of the California Existing Building Code, which is written specifically for light wood-frame houses. CRMP’s program rules are strict about completeness: no partial Chapter A3 retrofits. A job that adds new anchor bolts but leaves existing cripple walls unbraced does not qualify. The rules also require the water heater to be properly strapped as part of the work.
Seismic retrofit work is structural and needs a building permit. CRMP’s program rules add two conditions that matter for sequencing:
In the City of Los Angeles, permits are issued by LADBS, which publishes a prescriptive standard plan for cripple-wall retrofits; in unincorporated areas, LA County Building and Safety issues them. For the broader picture of retrofit types, see our seismic retrofit guide.
EBB does not take applications year-round. Registration opens for a limited time each year, and the program then uses a random selection process; homeowners who are not selected go on a wait list. Registering does not guarantee acceptance. CRMP had not published 2026 registration dates when we wrote this article, so sign up on the program’s website to be notified when registration opens for your ZIP code — and do not start work before you have been accepted and your permit has been issued.
CRMP puts a typical retrofit at $3,000 to $7,000. Where a house lands in that range depends on how much cripple wall there is, crawl-space access and height, the condition of the existing foundation, and whether plans from an engineer are needed. CRMP also notes that an experienced do-it-yourselfer can retrofit for less than $3,000, although the value of an owner-builder’s own labor is not reimbursable. APLA prices retrofits after inspecting the crawl space rather than from a flat rate, because the variables above are only visible once you are under the house.
If you are using the grant, the program rules require the work to be done by an owner-builder or by a contractor listed in the EBB Contractor Directory. Directory contractors must hold a California General Building license (Class A or B; the B-2 license is not eligible) and complete FEMA training in seismic retrofitting. Before you sign with anyone for a grant-funded retrofit, confirm they appear in the current Directory.
APLA Construction holds a California B (General Building) license. If your house falls outside an eligible ZIP code, you were not selected this year, or you simply want the retrofit done now without waiting for a registration window, we can assess and retrofit it to Chapter A3. If you plan to use the EBB grant, check the Directory for us or any contractor you are considering.
EBB is for houses. CRMP runs a separate Earthquake Multi-Unit Retrofit (EMR) program for multi-unit buildings, and its program listings for Southern California include Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Burbank, Culver City, Pasadena, Santa Monica, Torrance and West Hollywood. Apartment owners should check CRMP’s program listings for current eligibility.
Earthquake Brace + Bolt is a California Residential Mitigation Program grant that pays up to $3,000 toward a code-compliant seismic retrofit of an owner-occupied, wood-framed house built before 1980 on a raised foundation, in eligible ZIP codes. The retrofit bolts the house to its foundation and braces any cripple walls in the crawl space.
Up to $3,000. Households with an annual income of $94,480 or less can receive a supplemental grant of up to $7,000 more on a first-come, first-served basis while funds last, and CRMP says these grants may pay up to 100% of the retrofit cost.
It must be owner-occupied, wood-framed, built before 1980, on a raised foundation with a crawl space, and in an eligible ZIP code. Houses on a concrete slab do not qualify. Eligibility is set by ZIP code rather than by city, so check your exact ZIP code on CRMP’s list.
On CRMP’s 2025 list, 74 ZIP codes are listed under Los Angeles, from 90001 through 91607, and many Valley and Westside neighborhoods such as Van Nuys, Sherman Oaks, Northridge, Venice and Pacific Palisades appear under their own names. Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Culver City, West Hollywood, Torrance and Long Beach are also included. CRMP had not published a 2026 list as of October 2026.
Yes. Seismic retrofit work requires a building permit, issued by LADBS in the City of Los Angeles. Under the program’s rules, the permit must be issued after you are accepted into EBB, and you must submit the permit signed by the inspector after final inspection to receive the grant.
Not if you want the grant. The work must be done by an owner-builder or by a contractor listed in the EBB Contractor Directory, which requires a California Class A or B General Building license and FEMA seismic retrofit training. Without the grant, any properly licensed contractor can perform a Chapter A3 retrofit.
APLA Construction is a licensed general building contractor serving Los Angeles. We can inspect your crawl space, tell you whether you are looking at a brace-and-bolt or bolt-only job, and handle the permit and the work. Call (818) 818-4419 or email info@aplaconstruction.com. CA License #1136359.
Sources: California Residential Mitigation Program, Earthquake Brace + Bolt retrofit and EBB Program Rules, read 9 October 2026. Program terms can change from year to year — check the current rules before registering.