City Of Berkeley: Apply By Dec. 1 For Seismic Retrofit Grants – Including Full-Cost Rebates For Low-Income Homeowners

Press release from City of Berkeley:

Wednesday, October 27, 2021

Berkeley, California (Wednesday, October 27, 2021) - Low-income households can get refunded for the full cost of a seismic upgrade to their home - while others can qualify for up to $3,000 for making their foundations more resilient to earthquakes.

These refunds are available to Berkeley homeowners who sign up for the state's Earthquake Brace + Bolt rebate program by December 1 and are selected from a lottery. Households with annual incomes below $72,080 can qualify for up to 100 percent of the seismic retrofit cost.

Online Phone Eligibility

This program is essential in a community like Berkeley, where older homes may not have the seismic protections required of newer construction. Straightforward repairs like bracing and bolting have a big impact.

Berkeleyans have strengthened homes, gotten rebates

• Transfer Tax rebate for seismic improvements made within a year of purchase.
• Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing can be used by commercial, multifamily, and residential property owners to borrow money for seismic improvements, with no upfront costs, and pay back over time on their property bills.

Links:

• Earthquake Brace + Bolt (State of California)
• Transfer Tax Rebate for Seismic Upgrades (City of Berkeley)
• PACE Financing for Retrofits, Energy Upgrades (City of Berkeley)
• Seismic Safety Information and Programs (City of Berkeley)

This press release was produced by City of Berkeley. The views expressed here are the author’s own.