Be Prepared for an Earthquake
Earthquakes are unpredictable, but you can prepare yourself and your family now, before the next one hits. Practice earthquake safety with your family and make an earthquake preparedness plan today.
Personal Preparedness
There are easy steps you can take now to be earthquake ready:
Earthquake safety involves being prepared and knowing what to do. Practicing earthquake safety at home and creating a disaster safety kit before the next earthquake is crucial to your family’s safety.
Learn About Personal Preparedness
About California Earthquake Authority
(CEA)
CEA’s not-for-profit mission makes California residential earthquake insurance affordable and flexible. More than 1 million California policyholders trust CEA’s $18 billion claim-paying ability. We help homeowners, mobilehome owners, condo-unit owners, and renters before and after the big one strikes.
We educate, mitigate, and insure:
After the 6.7 magnitude 1994 Northridge earthquake—which damaged or destroyed thousands of homes—CEA was created by the California Legislature in 1996 to offer earthquake insurance coverage in California.
Our affordable and flexible policies—based on the best available science—have expanded over two decades. We work with 25 participating residential insurance companies to offer California homeowners, mobilehome owners, condo-unit owners, and renters home insurance policies.
Use our free premium calculator to get a quick, reliable estimate for your CEA earthquake insurance policy costs.
Start Your Free Estimate
Protect Your House Against Earthquake Damage
When an earthquake strikes, it shakes the ground and can cause damage to houses and other structures.
Learn about the potential hazards for you and your home and what you can do to prepare:
Strengthen Your House with a Seismic Retrofit
Earthquake shaking can cause houses to slide or topple off their foundation, especially older homes that were built before modern building codes were in place. A seismic retrofit involves strengthening your house to make it more resistant to earthquakes.
- CEA has grants that can help fund a seismic retrofit.
- CEA policyholders who have completed a seismic retrofit are eligible for a discount on their premium.
- For people who already have a house retrofit and need it verified, CEA has a list of Inspection Professionals for you to hire to inspect your home.
No area of California is without earthquake risk, but there are many ways to prepare your house to lower its risk of structural damage from an earthquake.
Prepare Your House
TOP Questions and answers
Top FAQs
We've gathered the most frequently asked questions to help you understand how a CEA policy can help you recover from the next damaging earthquake.
Q. What is Earthquake Insurance?
A. Though California has nearly 16,000 known earthquake faults, you are not required by state law to carry earthquake insurance. Your basic homeowners and renters insurance policies do not cover earthquake damage. Without separate earthquake insurance coverage, you will be responsible for all of the cost to repair your home and replace your belongings after a damaging earthquake occurs.
Earthquake insurance coverage guards against financially devastating shaking events.
CEA earthquake policies cover houses, mobilehomes, condo-units, and rental homes. Buy separate earthquake insurance coverage in California through your home insurance provider.
Our residential earthquake insurance policies offer coverage for:
- Repairs to your home/mobilehome/condo-units.
- Costs of living elsewhere while repairs are being made to your house/mobilehome/condo-unit/rental home after an earthquake.
- Replacement of the valuable contents in the home you own or rent.
Buy CEA earthquake insurance today to protect your life savings.
Q. Is Earthquake Insurance Really Worth it?
A. If you've never felt an earthquake tremor in your life, do you really need California earthquake insurance coverage?
Consider this.
- Damage from a minor quake is most often limited to broken windows and dishes.
- But a big quake may trigger catastrophic damage to your home’s structure and foundation—and may require use of your hard-earned life savings to repair damage to your home.
- Scientists say larger earthquakes are a matter of when, not if. Earthquakes are a certainty in California.
Your basic homeowners policy does not cover earthquake damage. Californians must purchase a separate, companion earthquake insurance policy. Without earthquake insurance coverage in California, you will be responsible for 100 percent of the cost to repair your home, and replace your belongings after a damaging earthquake strikes.
Given the potential cost to repair shake damage, the cost of a CEA policy may be an easy expense to justify. According to a Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast study, there is more than a 99% chance of one or more magnitude 6.7 or greater earthquakes striking California.
Ask yourself: after a major earthquake, could you:
- Afford to repair or replace your home without insurance;
- Cover the full costs of living elsewhere—while still paying your mortgage—during the time repairs are being made; and
- Replace the valuable contents of your home?
Compare those big-ticket expenses to an investment in earthquake insurance coverage—combined with the value of having peace of mind when the big one strikes.
Q. Do I Need Earthquake Insurance in California?
A. Live in the San Francisco Bay Area, Central Coast, Central Valley, Sierra Mountains or SoCal? Then you live in areas of greater earthquake risk.
Still, all of California is earthquake country.
Most Californians live within only 30 miles of an active earthquake fault. There are nearly 16,000 known faults, and scientists continue to find new faults.
Consider this likely scenario with a large earthquake:
- Earthquakes can cause extensive damage to the foundation, siding and roof of homes. Older homes built before 1980 on a raised foundation are especially vulnerable if they are not retrofitted.
- Without residential earthquake insurance you will be responsible for all repair and/or rebuilding costs.
- Government disaster assistance, if available, only comes in the form of a small grant or capped loan, which may cover only a portion of your repair costs.
- Without Loss of Use earthquake coverage—which includes covering additional expenses of living elsewhere—you’d still be paying your mortgage plus temporary housing rent during the time repairs are underway.
CEA earthquake insurance policies protect you against financially devastating shaking events.
Q. How Much Does Earthquake Insurance Cost?
A. CEA offers the best affordable and flexible earthquake policies. Choose the kind of coverage that fits your budget. Residential earthquake insurance typically pays for damaged walls, foundations, and ceilings. Options can also cover household items that are destroyed or need repair due to an earthquake, such as electronics and appliances.
Our residential earthquake insurance rates are based on the latest science, not profit. Premiums are determined by many factors, including:
- Your home’s age.
- Its location near a fault.
- Foundation type (raised, slab or other).
- Construction (masonry or frame) type.
- Roof type.
Find out about CEA’s premium discounts for retrofitted older homes and mobilehomes. Grants to help pay for a house retrofit are available to people with eligible houses in select ZIP Codes from the Earthquake Brace & Bolt (EBB) program, and the CEA Brace + Bolt (CEA BB) program.
Q. How Do I Qualify for a Discounted Premium?
A. Have you been looking for a discounted rate for earthquake insurance?
CEA offers residential earthquake insurance premium discounts for older houses (up to 25%), and mobilehomes (21%) that have been properly retrofitted to better withstand earthquakes. A seismic retrofit involves strengthening your dwelling to make it more resistant to shaking.
Find out about CEA’s discounts for retrofitted older homes. Mobilehomes that are properly retrofitted are also eligible for premium discounts. Grants for retrofitting may also be available.
CEA’s affordable and flexible earthquake insurance policies allow you to choose the kind of coverage and deductibles that fit your budget.
Q. What is CEA doing regarding late payments or other CEA policy issues during the COVID-19 pandemic?
A. CEA policy billing, payments, changes and renewals are not handled by CEA. The servicing of your policy—including any accommodations due to the COVID pandemic—is handled by the
residential property insurance company that issued your CEA policy. You will need to contact that insurance company for details on how they are managing grace periods, late payments, or other policy issues that may arise related to COVID-19.
Read the California Insurance Commissioner's latest bulletin on grace periods, and contact your insurance company directly for more information.
Q. What is CEA doing regarding late payments related to the July-August wildfires?
A. CEA policy billing and payments are not handled by CEA—all billing is performed by the participating residential insurer that issued your CEA policy. That participating insurer manages CEA policy billing, including managing any accommodations that are being made for late payments due to the wildfires and the California Insurance Commissioner's notice on the grace period. That being said, CEA expects all participating insurers to comply with the directive. You will need to contact the residential property insurance company through which your CEA policy was issued for details on how that company is managing the wildfire grace period.