Earthquake Multi-Unit Retrofit Program (EMR) Opens Registration Targets Soft-Story Apartment Buildings in 14 Earthquake Prone California Cities

SACRAMENTO, CA, August 19, 2026 (EZ Newswire) -- The California Residential Mitigation Program (CRMP) today announced the opening of a grant registration period for the Earthquake Multi-Unit Retrofit Program (EMR), running from August 19 through September 30, 2026. The program offers incentive payments to owners of older multi-unit apartment buildings required to retrofit under their city's mandatory soft-story ordinance, helping offset the cost of bringing these buildings into compliance.

EMR is available to qualifying wood-frame buildings with five to ten units, built before January 1, 1991, with a soft, weak, or open front (SWOF) seismic deficiency, where the building owner has received a notice and order from their city to retrofit under that city's mandatory ordinance. Eligible buildings must be located in one of 14 California cities that have adopted such ordinances: Albany, Berkeley, Mill Valley, Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose in Northern California; and Beverly Hills, Burbank, Culver City, Los Angeles, Pasadena, Santa Monica, Torrance, and West Hollywood in Southern California.

Eligible building owners can receive an incentive payment covering 70% of engineering and permit fees, up to $7,000, along with 70% of retrofit construction costs, up to $4,260 per unit. In total, EMR provides earthquake retrofit grant assistance up to $49,600 for multi-family buildings. The EMR grant program is administered by CRMP, a Joint Powers Authority between the California Earthquake Authority (CEA) and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES).

"These grant programs help us protect vulnerable buildings, and those who live within them, from the near certainty of an earthquake," said Janiele Maffei, Chief Mitigation Officer, California Earthquake Authority. "Buildings that qualify for this grant are already required by law to retrofit under their city's ordinance. We are proud to be able to offer these funds to make those retrofits more affordable."

In addition to EMR, CRMP administers the Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB) and Earthquake Soft-Story (ESS) grant programs. In 2025, CRMP provided grant funding for 6,811 retrofits.

"Earthquake retrofits create a safer and more resilient California," said Janiele Maffei, Chief Mitigation Officer, California Earthquake Authority. "Helping building owners afford the retrofits their cities already require means safer homes for thousands of California renters. Each retrofit brings us one step closer to a better-prepared California.”

Beginning August 19 and running through September 30, 2026, eligible building owners can register for a retrofit grant. To receive CRMP retrofit program email updates, such as registration information or when a program has expanded to a new area of California, sign up at crmp.org.

About California Residential Mitigation Program (CRMP)

CRMP was established in 2011 to help Californians strengthen their homes against damage from earthquakes. CRMP is a joint powers authority created by the California Earthquake Authority and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. For more information, please visit crmp.org.

About Earthquake Multi-Unit Retrofit (EMR)

The CRMP Earthquake Multi-Unit Retrofit (EMR) program builds on the success of the Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB) and Earthquake Soft-Story (ESS) programs. While EBB and ESS focus on strengthening older single-family homes — typically built before 1980 — through the addition of anchor bolts and plywood to improve structural stability, EMR is designed specifically for multi-family buildings with five to ten units built before 1991. Learn further details about EMR's expansion in California.

Media Contact

Sheri Pierce
spierce@calquake.com
+1 279-203-1426

Patrick George
pgeorge@ka-pow.com
+1 916-202-1982