Earthquake

Earthquake retrofit home check

A quick home check for old houses, crawl spaces, soft stories, chimneys, water heaters, permits, and insurance proof.

Checklist Last reviewed June 29, 2026

Why it matters

A quake map shows where shaking can happen. This check asks how the home is built. Start with the age, crawl space, garage, and base. Then call the local building office.

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Home risk checks

Wildfire, insurance, coast, earthquake, and retrofit checks.

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First moves

1
Find the year built. Look for a crawl space, garage under the home, chimney, or mobilehome brace.
2
If the home is wood framed, older than 1980, and raised off the ground, check Earthquake Brace + Bolt.
3
Ask if the frame is bolted to the base.
4
Ask if the short walls in the crawl space are braced.
5
Check water heater straps, chimney risk, and tall things that could fall.
6
Ask the local building office if a permit or soft-story rule applies.
7
Before hiring, check the license. Ask for a written job list, photos, permit plan, and proof for insurance.

Watch for

1
A retrofit can help. It does not make the home quake-proof.
2
Brace-and-bolt does not fit every home. Slab, hill, pier, garage-under-home, condo, mobilehome, and apartment buildings can need other help.
3
Some cities have mandatory retrofit rules for older soft-story or concrete buildings.
4
Grants open and close. ZIP codes and income rules can change.
5
Insurance discounts may need a form, inspection, or program number.
6
Chimneys, gas lines, water heaters, cabinets, and tall furniture are separate jobs.
7
Be careful with a cheap quote that skips permits or engineering.

Go deeper

California earthquake fault zones

A practical first stop for Alquist-Priolo fault zones, seismic hazard zones, disclosure, and local planning-office checks before you buy or build.

Directory paths

Keep moving through the directory.

Use the nearby shelf when this is the right lane, or jump back to the full directory if the task changed names.

ShelfHome risk checksWildfire, insurance, coast, earthquake, and retrofit checks.DirectoryPaperwork & MoneyReturn to the full tools shelf.Nearby toolWildfire home and insurance checkFirst checks for fire maps, yard work, home hardening, discounts, and FAIR Plan questions.Nearby toolHome insurance fallback checkWhat to try when a home policy is dropped, not renewed, too pricey, or hard to get.A-ZFind another California pathUse the directory index when the task has a different name.