Earthquake Brace + Bolt

What Earthquake Brace + Bolt does

Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB) is a seismic retrofit incentive program administered by the California Residential Mitigation Program (CRMP), a state government entity headquartered at 400 Capitol Mall, Suite 1200, Sacramento. It serves California homeowners of wood-framed, pre-1980 homes with raised foundations, offering financial grants to offset the cost of code-compliant seismic retrofits that prevent houses from sliding or toppling off their foundations during earthquakes. The program is not a revenue-generating company but a state-administered grant mechanism, and it does not have shareholders, traditional ownership, or venture backing.

The program's core technical offerings are two retrofit variants: a "Brace and Bolt" retrofit for homes with short cripple walls (four feet or less) involving plywood or OSB sheathing bracing plus anchor bolt or foundation plate attachment to the foundation, and a "Bolt-Only" retrofit for homes where the wood frame sits directly on a stem wall foundation. All retrofits must additionally include water heater strapping and comply with the California Existing Building Code (CEBC), Chapter A3. Eligibility is gated to high-hazard ZIP Codes selected using USGS earthquake hazard data and US Census pre-1940 housing stock vulnerability data; as of January 15, 2025, the program covers over 1,100 such ZIP Codes statewide. Accepted homeowners can hire from a vetted Contractor Directory of FEMA-trained, California-licensed contractors or complete the work as owner-builders.

EBB's business model is grant-based rather than commercial. The standard EBB Grant provides up to $3,000 toward a code-compliant retrofit, while a Supplemental Grant tier offers up to 100% of retrofit costs (up to $7,000 per program website materials) for income-eligible households earning $94,480 or less annually, allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Funding flows from the California Earthquake Authority's Loss Mitigation Fund and the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). Distribution is direct-to-consumer through annual limited-time online registration windows, with a bottom-of-funnel conversion path into the vetted contractor directory. The typical retrofit cost is $3,000-$7,000 when performed by a licensed contractor, and below $3,000 for qualified DIY owner-builders.

Name

Earthquake Brace + Bolt

Legal name

California Residential Mitigation Program (CRMP)

Website

https://earthquakebracebolt.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Earthquake Brace + Bolt is a California state-administered grant program that funds seismic retrofits of pre-1980 wood-framed raised foundation homes, offering up to $3,000 grants plus supplemental income-eligible coverage up to 100% of cost.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Seismic Retrofit Services

NAICS

Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors (2381), Poured Concrete Foundation and Structure Contractors (238110)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Repair Services (7600), General Bldg Contractors - Residential Bldgs (1520)

akta.pro primary industry

Foundation Remediation & Underpinning (Jack Piles, Resin Injection, Re-leveling) (IMAFAOAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ground Anchors, Rock Bolting & Tiebacks (IMAFAOAE), Structural & Seismic Retrofit Services (EDAEABAF)

Keywords

• Seismic retrofit grants
• Earthquake mitigation
• Residential home retrofitting
• Brace and bolt
• Earthquake safety upgrades

Headquarters

HQ city

Sacramento

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Earthquake Retrofit Grants: The Earthquake Brace + Bolt program is a grant incentive program, not a revenue-generating entity. The program is funded through contributions from the California Earthquake Authority's Loss Mitigation Fund and the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). Grants are provided to qualifying homeowners to offset the cost of seismic retrofitting work.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Earthquake Brace + Bolt is a California state-administered seismic retrofit grant program that provides up to $3,000 (and up to 100% of costs for income-eligible households) to homeowners for code-compliant seismic retrofits of wood-framed, pre-1980 homes with raised foundations. The retrofit work bolting the foundation to the house frame and bracing cripple walls with plywood, and includes water heater strapping per California Existing Building Code (CEBC) Chapter A3.

Product overview

Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB) is a seismic retrofit program operated by the California Residential Mitigation Program (CRMP) offering financial assistance to homeowners for earthquake safety improvements. The core offering consists of two retrofit types: Brace and Bolt Retrofits for houses with cripple walls (involving plywood bracing and foundation bolting), and Bolt-Only Retrofits for houses with direct stem wall foundations. The program provides EBB Program Grants of up to $3,000 and Supplemental Grants of up to 100% cost coverage for income-eligible households earning $94,480 or less annually. Water heater strapping is a required component of all retrofits. Retrofits must comply with California Existing Building Code (CEBC), Chapter A3.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Brace and Bolt Retrofit

Quantifiable outcome

• Prevents structural collapse of raised foundation homes during earthquakes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Earthquake Country AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides resources for strapping and bracing water heaters as part of seismic retrofit education and best practices.
• USGS (United States Geological Survey)coreOthersProvides earthquake hazard data used to select ZIP Codes where EBB is offered. Hazard identification uses USGS earthquake hazard maps for California.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Simpson Strong-Tie: Leading manufacturer of structural connectors, anchor bolts, and retrofit hardware commonly specified in EBB-compliant retrofits. Functions as an enabling supplier to EBB's contractor network rather than a competing program, supplying the physical products that anchor bolts and plywood bracing rely on.
• Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH): Non-profit that advocates for residential disaster mitigation, including earthquake retrofits, and partners with FEMA on homeowner education. Overlaps with EBB's public education mission but does not administer its own grant program.
• Earthquake Country Alliance (ECA): California-based public-private partnership that promotes earthquake preparedness, including best practices for water heater strapping and bracing referenced in EBB's retrofit scope. Functions as a knowledge and outreach partner rather than a competing grant program.

Broad incumbents

• California Earthquake Authority (CEA): The primary funder of EBB and California's residential earthquake insurance provider. Operates in the same seismic risk-mitigation space but on the insurance side, offering premium credits and policy discounts rather than direct retrofit grants. Functions as both EBB's parent/funder and a broader industry incumbent.
• FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP): Federal funding partner that supplies grants to EBB and operates its own broader hazard mitigation grant portfolio nationwide. Comparable as a public-sector funder of residential resilience retrofits but at a much larger federal scale and with broader eligibility beyond seismic risk.

Emerging players

• Bay Area Retrofit: Regional specialty contractor performing seismic retrofits on Northern California raised-foundation and soft-story homes. Comparable as a delivery-side execution peer to the contractors in EBB's vetted directory, though operates commercially rather than via grants.
• Build Change: Non-profit organization focused on seismic retrofit and disaster-resistant housing in earthquake-prone regions globally. Comparable in mission (residential seismic resilience) but operates through international development programs rather than state-administered grants.
• Seismic Retrofit Specialists (SRS): Southern California seismic retrofit contractor operating in many of the same ZIP codes EBB serves. Comparable in delivery scope and geography but participates in EBB's contractor directory rather than administering its own program.

Direct peers

• CRMP EMR (Earthquake Mobilehome Retrofit) Program: Another CRMP-administered retrofit program addressing mobilehome seismic bracing. Operates under the same grant-funding and contractor-vetting model as EBB and competes for the same homeowners within overlapping ZIP codes.
• CRMP ESS (Earthquake Soft-Story) Program: Sister program also administered by CRMP, targeting a different but adjacent residential seismic risk segment (soft-story homes). Shares the same government entity, funding sources, contractor directory, and registration mechanics as EBB, making it the most direct operational peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/EQBraceBolt

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Earthquake Brace + Bolt