How to Hire a Seismic Retrofit Contractor in California

To hire a seismic retrofit contractor in California, check the license on CSLB's Check A License tool (look for an A or B license, not B-2), get at least three written bids on the same scope, and make sure each bid includes the building permit. For an EBB or ESS grant, the contractor must also be on CRMP's directory.

Step 1: Know which retrofit you are hiring for

The house decides the paperwork. A bolt-only job, or a brace-and-bolt on cripple walls of 4 feet or less, can be built from a standard plan set: California Existing Building Code Chapter A3, ABAG Plan Set A, Los Angeles Standard Plan Number One, or FEMA P-1100 where your city accepts it.CRMP rules

Cripple walls over 4 feet, hillside houses and post-and-pier houses need plans from a licensed engineer. Soft-story houses can often use FEMA P-1100 plans, though some still need an engineer.CRMP That tells you whether you are hiring a contractor alone or a contractor plus an engineer. Typical prices by type are on our seismic retrofit cost page.

Step 2: Build a shortlist

Start with CRMP's Find a Contractor directory. You can search it by ZIP code and distance, business name, contractor name or license number, and every listed firm has staff who completed CRMP's FEMA retrofit training. Listing requires a California A or B license; B-2 is not eligible. CRMP says plainly that a listing is not an endorsement, and that it does not monitor listed contractors.CRMP

For a grant the directory is not optional. EBB pays only for work by a listed contractor or by you as an owner-builder, and ESS requires a listed contractor. Without a grant it is still a useful list of firms that took the training. CRMP's own hiring advice adds referrals from neighbors who retrofitted recently, and a call to your city or county building department.CRMP

Step 3: Check the license on CSLB

1. Open CSLB's Check A License page.
2. Search by license number (digits only; California license numbers contain no letters), business name or personnel name. A salesperson's Home Improvement Salesperson registration can be checked on the same page.
3. Confirm the license is active and in good standing.
4. Confirm the classification is A (General Engineering) or B (General Building). A B-2 Residential Remodeling contractor may not contract for footings, foundations or other load-bearing structural work.
5. Check the bond and workers' compensation lines. Licensed contractors must carry a $25,000 license bond, and the record shows workers' comp coverage or an exemption.
6. Read the complaint and disciplinary disclosures.
7. When the contractor visits, ask to see the pocket license and a photo ID, and match them to the record.

The CSLB database is offline Sundays from 8 p.m. to Monday 6 a.m.; you can also call (800) 321-2752. A license is required for any job that needs a building permit, and a seismic retrofit always does, so the $1,000 small-job exemption never applies here. Some older CSLB and CRMP pages still say $500. The current threshold is $1,000.CSLB

Step 4: Ask these questions

• Is your license an A or a B, and in whose name is it?
• How many retrofits have you done on houses like mine: same foundation, same cripple wall height, same slope?
• Do you carry commercial general liability insurance and workers' compensation?
• Can I call three recent retrofit customers?
• Will you give me a written, itemized proposal with scope, materials, labor, timeline and total?
• Who pulls the permit, and is the permit fee in the price?
• Which standard will you build to: Chapter A3, Plan Set A, LA Standard Plan Number One, FEMA P-1100 or engineered plans?
• Is water heater strapping included? EBB requires it, and so does the CEA discount.
• If I get a grant, will you handle the CRMP uploads, and should the payment go to you or to me?

The first five come from CRMP's hiring guide; the rest close the gaps that cause disputes later.CRMP

Step 5: Compare bids and read the contract

Compare bids on identical plans and scope, as CSLB advises, and be wary of one far below the rest. In the EBB program a second bid is mandatory when the first is over $10,000, and every bid must include the permit cost.CSLB

California's home improvement rules set the floor for the contract:CSLB guide

• Any job over $500 needs a written contract with the contractor's name, address and license number, a description of the work and materials, the price, an approximate start date and a Mechanics Lien Warning.
• The down payment can be no more than $1,000 or 10% of the price, whichever is less. On a $5,500 retrofit that is $550.
• Payments may never run ahead of the work done or the materials delivered.
• You can cancel within three business days, or five if you are 65 or older, by email, mail, fax or delivery, and the contractor refunds you within 10 days. The right does not apply to a contract negotiated at the contractor's place of business. Do not let work start or permits be pulled during that period.
• Ask for lien releases as each stage is paid, and put every change in a written change order.

Which red flags should end the conversation?

• A knock on the door, a "free inspection" and an alarming report of danger.
• Pressure to sign today, which leaves no time for three bids, a license check or references.
• Cash only, or an offer to drive you to the bank.
• A deposit above $1,000 or 10%, or payments ahead of the work.
• No written contract, or a blank one to sign.
• "EBB-approved" or "CRMP-certified" claims. CRMP's rules bar listed contractors from marketing themselves as approved, endorsed, qualified or referred by the program.CRMP rules
• Pressure to start before CRMP approves the job, which makes the retrofit ineligible for the grant.
• Only a B-2 license, or a suggestion to skip the permit.

Most of these come straight from CSLB's scam warnings for homeowners.CSLB

How do permits and inspections work?

The permit comes first. CRMP says either you or your contractor must get one from the local building department, and the inspector checks the work during construction and signs it off at the final inspection.CRMP

Engineered plans are required for cripple walls over 4 feet and up to 7 feet, houses on embedded poles or columns, houses over three stories, partially slab-on-grade houses and hillside houses. For EBB, the permit must be issued after you are accepted and cover only the seismic work, and the grant is paid only after you upload the permit signed at final inspection.CRMP rules

After the final, CEA's Dwelling Retrofit Verification form earns the insurance discount. A licensed general contractor or a civil or structural engineer signs it, or an EBB verification number takes the place of the signature.CEA form

Hire a seismic retrofit contractor the way you would hire anyone working under your house: licensed, permitted, in writing, and paid only as the work gets done.

Sources

1. CSLB, Check A License and Finding the Right Contractor. Accessed October 10, 2026.
2. CSLB, What Kind of Contractor Do You Need? The $1,000 license threshold and the permit rule.
3. CSLB, Home Improvement Contracts consumer guide and What Seniors Should Know (2025).
4. CRMP, Find a Contractor and How to Hire an Earthquake Retrofit Contractor.
5. CRMP, EBB Rules for Participation, effective September 14, 2026. License classes, bids, permits, marketing rules.
6. CRMP, FAQs. Engineering and FEMA P-1100.
7. CEA, Dwelling Retrofit Verification form.

FAQ