New Seismic Retrofit Standard Promises Safer, More Valuable Homes

There's a new national standard for making older houses more earthquake-resistant. The International Code Council has finalized ICC 1300, a voluntary retrofit standard that will be included in the 2027 building codes. It gives homeowners, builders, and local governments a science-based guide for strengthening the weak points in one- and two-family homes that tend to fail during earthquakes, based on research from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The standard is meant to be a middle ground: instead of forcing an older house to meet the full, often expensive requirements for new construction, it targets specific upgrades that improve safety at a lower cost. It's voluntary, so no one is required to use it, but supporters expect it to see the most use in earthquake-prone regions like California and the Pacific Northwest, where many older homes remain vulnerable to shaking.

There's also a potential funding angle. Seismic upgrades that follow ICC 1300 may qualify for federal grant programs, including FEMA's Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program and its Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). Those grants typically flow through cities and counties for larger retrofit efforts, so availability would depend on what your local or state government decides to pursue. If you live in a higher-risk seismic area, this standard is worth knowing about as a reference point for what a solid retrofit looks like and how it might be funded.