Contractors Participating in CRMP
Contractors are vital to helping homeowners complete a CRMP retrofit and providing the documentation required for the grant payment. CRMP provides seismic retrofit grant funding to qualifying single-family houses that have one or both of the following characteristics:
- built before 1980 and has a raised foundation or crawl space under the house (the Earthquake Brace + Bolt grant program, or EBB), and
- built before 2000 with a living space over garage, or "soft story," that is susceptible to collapse during an earthquake unless retrofitted (the Earthquake Soft-Story grant program, or ESS).
Register & Get Trained to Participate
All California general contractors with a Type A or B license in good standing may participate in CRMP.
If you’re already registered in one CRMP grant program, you don’t need to register again to participate in another program—just go to your Dashboard and complete the remaining free FEMA retrofit training, and you’re in!
Once you've completed the training, you'll be added to the CRMP Contractor Directory, from which all CRMP homeowner participants must choose their retrofit contractor.
- Learn more about why participation in CRMP is a great business opportunity.
Get Hired
When a homeowner contacts you about doing their retrofit, they will ask you to provide a detailed bid that includes the entire cost of the retrofit, including the cost of the building permit. The homeowner must get an additional bid if your bid is more than $10,000. The maximum grant amount is $7,000 for EBB, and $13,000 for ESS.
EBB Seismic Retrofit Grant
Funding for EBB
EBB retrofit grants are FEMA-funded grants that have very specific rules and requirements. Follow the instructions on your Contractor Dashboard carefully and review the Program Rules, to help your homeowner meet the requirements for getting EBB grant funding.
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FIRST: Pre-Retrofit
- After the homeowner is accepted into the EBB program, the pre-retrofit process can begin. The homeowner has 12 weeks (three months) to complete these pre-retrofit steps.
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NEXT: The Retrofit
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After the homeowner's pre-retrofit documents are approved by EBB, the retrofit construction work may begin. Homeowners will have six months from the day their pre-retrofit documents are approved to complete their EBB retrofit.
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THEN: Post-Retrofit
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Within 30 days after completion of the retrofit, You or the homeowner must upload the required documents and photos to the Homeowner’s Dashboard (see Program Rules and your Dashboard for more details).
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ESS Seismic Retrofit Grant
The following are the maximum ESS grant amounts provided to homeowners for the four accepted types of retrofits:
| House Type | Percentage Covered | Maximum Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Type 1—House Over Garage + Ground Floor Finished Living Space | Up to 75% total retrofit cost | $10K |
| Type 2—Room Over Garage + Crawl Space Previously Retrofitted | Up to 75% total retrofit cost | $10K |
| Type 3—Room Over Garage + Crawl Space Needing Retrofit | Up to 75% total retrofit cost | $13K |
| Type 4—House Over Garage— No Ground Floor Finished Living Space | Up to 75% total retrofit cost | $13K |
Once you're hired by an ESS participating homeowner, you and the homeowner will have access to a user-friendly online dashboard, where one of you will upload required documents (such as the building permit and pre- and post-retrofit photos of the home).
Funding for ESS
ESS retrofit grants are FEMA-funded grants that have very specific rules and requirements. Follow the instructions on your Contractor Dashboard carefully and review the Program Rules, to help your homeowner meet the requirements for getting ESS grant funding. See the table above for the maximum ESS grant amounts provided to homeowners for the four accepted types of retrofits.
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FIRST: Pre-Retrofit
- After the homeowner is accepted into the ESS program, the pre-retrofit process can begin. The homeowner has 12 weeks (three months) to complete these pre-retrofit steps.
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NEXT: The Retrofit
- After the homeowner's pre-retrofit documents are approved by ESS, the retrofit construction work may begin. Homeowners will have six months from the day their pre-retrofit documents are approved to complete their ESS retrofit.
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THEN: Post-Retrofit
- Within 30 days after completion of the retrofit, you or the homeowner must upload the required documents and photos to the Homeowner's Dashboard (see Program Rules and your Dashboard for more details).
We Are Here to Help
Please Contact Us with any questions about the retrofit process or CRMP retrofit requirements. Also, you can find more information in the Program Rules.