Should I Earthquake Retrofit an Older Home I Buy in Orange County?

Earthquake risk is part of owning a home anywhere in California. How a house is built changes how it handles shaking.

I'm Jeanette Nelson, a REALTOR® with Jeanette Nelson Real Estate, Keller Williams Realty, serving Orange County, Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, and surrounding areas. When buyers fall in love with an older home, I encourage them to learn about its foundation along with its kitchen and floor plan.

The California Department of Insurance describes the Earthquake Brace + Bolt program as covering wood-framed houses built before 1980 that sit on raised foundations. That gives you a sense of which homes the state has focused on. Some homes sit on a concrete slab and others on a raised foundation, so the first question is simply which kind your home has.

The California Department of Insurance explains that a Brace + Bolt retrofit bolts the house to its foundation and adds bracing around the perimeter of the crawl space. It recommends using a trained, licensed contractor.

The California Seismic Safety Commission's Homeowner's Guide to Earthquake Safety also points to common weaknesses in older homes, such as:

• A house not anchored to its foundation.
• Weak crawl space walls around a raised foundation.
• An unbraced water heater, which can tip and cause gas leaks or water damage.
• Unreinforced masonry chimneys.

A retrofit is construction work, so check permit requirements with your city. In Huntington Beach, the City's permit guide says permits are required to alter or repair a building or structure, with listed exceptions.

California has earthquake disclosure steps in a home sale. The Homeowner's Guide to Earthquake Safety says sellers of homes built before 1960 must give the buyer a copy of the guide. It also notes sellers are not required to hire someone to evaluate the home or to strengthen it before selling.

The guide describes a Residential Earthquake Hazards Report, where the seller notes known weaknesses, along with a Natural Hazards Disclosure. Read these closely, and ask questions during your inspection period.

For a deeper look, you can hire a contractor or engineer experienced in seismic work to evaluate the home before your contingencies end. My article on what to expect at your first home inspection explains how inspections fit into escrow.

There have been. The California Department of Insurance announced that the 2025 Earthquake Brace + Bolt program offered grants of up to $3,000 for eligible homeowners in more than 1,100 eligible ZIP codes. Income-eligible households earning $89,040 or less per year could receive up to $7,000 in supplemental grants. Registration for that round ran from August 20 to October 1, 2025.

Program rounds, ZIP codes and amounts can change from year to year. Check the program's official site for whether your ZIP code is eligible and when the next registration window opens.

First, know that a standard homeowners policy generally does not cover earthquake damage. The California Department of Insurance explains that earthquake coverage is a separate policy, and most of it is sold through the California Earthquake Authority (CEA) by participating insurers.

The Department's earthquake insurance guide also notes that CEA deductibles range from 5% to 25%. If a home is valued over $1 million, or was built before 1980 on a raised or other non-slab foundation and is not verified as retrofitted, the lowest available deductible is 15%. So a verified retrofit can open up more deductible choices on an older raised-foundation home.

Ask your insurance agent for quotes before you close so you know the cost. This is general information, not insurance advice.

1. Confirm the foundation type and the year the home was built.
2. Read the seller's earthquake disclosures and the Homeowner's Guide.
3. Get a seismic evaluation and bid during your inspection period if the home is on a raised foundation.
4. Check grant eligibility for the home's ZIP code.
5. Get earthquake insurance quotes with and without a retrofit.
6. Strap the water heater if it is not already braced. It is one of the simplest safety steps in the Homeowner's Guide.

If you are looking at an older home in Orange County and want to plan your inspections and questions, I'd love to help. Call or text me at 714.366.8575 | DRE: 01397168, or contact me. Jeanette Nelson is a REALTOR® with Jeanette Nelson Real Estate, Keller Williams Realty, serving Orange County, Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, and surrounding areas.