Oakland Reimbursements for Seismic Retrofitting
The City of Oakland just reached the first anniversary of its program to encourage homeowners to seismically strengthen their property in anticipation of “the big one.” What follows is from council member Jean Quan’s web site.
“Now there are two ways the City can assist homeowners seismically strengthen their older homes:
1. New Homeowners–may apply for the New Homeowners Seismic Strengthening Incentive Program, but must sign up within the first 60 days of taking ownership. If you meet all the requirements, you can be eligible for up to $5,000 reimbursement.
2. Low Income/Fixed Income Homeowners–starting July 1, eligible homeowners may apply for up to $10,000 matching grant to seismically strengthen their older home. Homeowners must meet the City’s low income threshold (family of 2 not exceeding $53,000 a year, for example) and live in one of the City’s Redevelopment Project Areas.
3. All homeowners who retrofit according to the City’s standards are eligible for a flat $250 retrofit permit fee–saving hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.
In both cases, interested homeowners should first contact the City of Oakland’s Building Department at 238-3891 for information about the City’s Seismic Retrofit Program. Eligible low-income homeowners will then be referred to the City’s Residential Lending and Housing Rehabilitation Services Program, which also offers no-interest loans for other home construction improvement projects (including foundation work). ”