How to Fill Out the CEA Earthquake Insurance Dwelling Retrofit Verification Form

The CEA Dwelling Retrofit Verification form is a one-page document that proves your older California home has been seismically retrofitted, qualifying your California Earthquake Authority policy for a Hazard Reduction Discount. You fill in the policy and property information at the top, a licensed California general contractor or civil/structural engineer inspects the retrofit and signs the certification, and you send the completed form to your insurance agent.¹

Where to Get the Form

Download the current PDF directly from the CEA portal.¹ Your participating insurance company or agent can also send you a copy. It’s a single page with two parts: fields you complete, and an inspection certification the licensed professional completes.

What You Fill In

The top of the form ties the verification to your specific CEA policy. You enter:

The name of the CEA participating insurance company that issued your policy
Your CEA policy number, from your declarations page
Policyholder name, phone number, and email
The property street address, city, and ZIP code as they appear on the CEA policy
The year the dwelling was built, which sets your discount tier

Check the policy number and address against your declarations page before you hand the form off. A mismatch between the form and the policy stalls processing for no good reason.

What the Inspector Certifies

The core of the form is a short set of yes-or-no questions the inspection professional answers after examining the property. They establish whether the home meets California Building Code standards for seismic resilience.²

Foundation Anchoring

The first question asks whether the dwelling is anchored to its foundation in accordance with applicable building codes. For most raised-foundation homes, that means the mudsill is bolted to the concrete foundation using anchor bolts or approved adhesive anchors. The inspection must be done in accordance with the CEA’s DRV Requirements.¹

The form also records whether the home sits on a raised foundation or a different type. Post-and-pier, post-and-beam, or unreinforced masonry foundations (brick, concrete block, or stone) must be modified so continuous foundations run under all exterior bearing walls, with the dwelling anchored to that perimeter foundation per California Building Code standards.²

Cripple Wall Bracing

Cripple walls are the short wood-frame walls between the top of the foundation and the underside of the first floor. In older homes they are often unbraced, which is the most common failure point in an earthquake. The form asks whether the home has cripple walls and, if so, whether they are braced in accordance with applicable building codes as determined by an inspection under the CEA DRV Requirements.¹ The governing technical standard is Chapter A3 of the California Existing Building Code.³

Water Heater Bracing

The last question asks whether the water heater is secured to the building frame following the Division of the State Architect’s guidelines for earthquake bracing residential water heaters. Tankless units must follow the manufacturer’s requirements.¹ A missing strap can hold up your discount even when the foundation work is done.

Who Can Sign

The certification requires the signature of a licensed California general contractor or a licensed civil or structural engineer, in good standing.⁴ The signer provides their license number, business name, address, phone number, professional title, and the date. By signing, they certify that they inspected the property in accordance with the CEA’s DRV Requirements and that the retrofit was completed in accordance with applicable building codes.¹ The form also asks whether the signer was the engineer or contractor of record for the retrofit work, so the CEA knows whether they did the job themselves or are inspecting someone else’s.

Any qualifying California-licensed professional can sign. The CEA maintains a searchable directory of inspection professionals who have completed FEMA training specific to single-family wood-frame retrofits and to filling out the DRV form, and using someone from that list reduces the chance of an incomplete inspection.⁵

If Your Retrofit Was Done Through Brace + Bolt

If the work was completed through the Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB) program, you don’t need a separate professional signature. Enter your valid Brace + Bolt application number, approved date, and verification number in the designated fields at the bottom of the form.¹ EBB has its own inspection and verification built in, and the CEA treats that verification number as equivalent to the professional certification.

Submitting the Form

Send the completed, signed form to your insurance agent or homeowners insurance company for processing.¹ Most participating insurers accept a scanned copy through an online portal, by email to underwriting, or by mail. Call your agent and ask which method they prefer.

The CEA does not publish a specific processing timeline, and turnaround depends on your insurer. Once the discount is approved, you’ll receive an updated declarations page showing the lower premium. If you submit the form mid-term, ask your agent whether the discount will be prorated or applied at renewal.

What the Discount Is Worth

The Hazard Reduction Discount applies to wood-frame single-family homes (including buildings with up to four attached residential units) built before 1980, on a raised foundation, with a qualifying seismic retrofit verified by a licensed professional.⁴ Homes on slab foundations don’t qualify, because there are no cripple walls or unanchored sill plates to retrofit.

The percentage depends on the build year and foundation type:²

Built 1940–1979, raised foundation: 20%
Built 1940–1979, other non-slab foundation: 10%
Built 1939 or earlier, raised foundation: 25%
Built 1939 or earlier, other non-slab foundation: 15%
Mobilehomes with an earthquake-resistant bracing system certified by the California Department of Housing and Community Development, or installed on an approved foundation: 21%

On a policy that can run several thousand dollars a year for an older home in a high-seismicity zone, the signed DRV form is what unlocks those savings every renewal.

1
California Earthquake Authority. CEA Earthquake Insurance Dwelling Retrofit Verification Form
2
California Earthquake Authority. CA Earthquake Insurance Cost Discounts – How to Get a Lower Rate
3
UpCodes. Chapter A3 Prescriptive Provisions for Seismic Strengthening of Cripple Walls and Sill Plate Anchorage of Light, Wood-Frame Residential Buildings
4
California Earthquake Authority. Inspection Professionals (IP)
5
California Earthquake Authority. Search for Retrofit Inspection Professionals