California homeowners in 18 cities can now apply for grants of up to $3,000 through the Sacramento-based California Residential Mitigation Program’s Earthquake Brace + Bolt initiative.

Registration opened on Jan. 20 and runs through Feb. 20. The money can be used to bolt homes to their foundations and add bracing around crawl spaces.

Houses that qualify for funding are:

Wood-framed, built before 1979.
Built on a level or low slope.
Built with a 4-foot (or less) cripple wall under the first floor, or with a cripple wall between 4 and 7 feet.
Have a raised foundation.

The initiative is funding in part by $3 million from the state’s current budget.

The cities covered by the initiative are Albany, Berkeley, Burlingame, Emeryville, Hillsborough, Millbrae, Oakland, Piedmont, San Francisco, Sand Leandro and Woodside in Northern California. In Southern California, the eligible cities are Los Angeles, Pasadena, San Bernardino, San Marino, Santa Monica, South Pasadena and West Hollywood.

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California offering grants to strengthen homes against earthquakes

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