California To Pay for Wildfire Retrofits Up To $40,000.00 per Home

house on fire

The State of California recently launched the California Wildfire Mitigation Program, a $100-million pilot program in collaboration with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, to pay for home retrofits in high-fire areas. San Diego County is the first county where the new initiative will start. Here, up to $40,000.00 per home will be available across 500 backcountry residences. Eligible work includes trimming or clearing vegetation around the home, upgrading to ember- or flame-resistant roofing, siding or vents, and other retrofits.

“Houses are accelerants, but if you do the work — defensible space, building codes — you can minimize the acceleration that a subdivision can generate when a wildfire comes screaming over the ridgeline,” said Char Miller, a professor of environmental analysis at Pomona College who has written extensively about wildfires.

Find out if you qualify for these programs here.

Virginia mortgage programs may be able to save you hundreds every month. A new 2024 mortgage may be able to give relief to homeowners. Unfortunately, most Americans will not receive their mortgage benefits because they are not aware of some of these programs. You do not need to pay anything to check how much you could get.

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A recent study from UC San Diego found that homes built after the state’s wildfire building codes went into effect were significantly less likely to be destroyed in a large blaze. In San Diego County, roughly 88% of the population and around 1 million homes are exposed to some wildfire hazard, according to a 2018 county report. That includes almost 78,000 homes in high to extreme fire hazard areas.

“We’re not here to push this down anybody’s throat, but at the same time, we think it’s a high-value program,” County Fire Deputy Chief Dave Nissen said. “We just want to take the time to make sure people are making a well-informed decision, whether they want to be a part of this or not.”

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, chose the communities of Dulzura, Potrero, and Campo based largely on their concentration of low-income residents living in older, fire-prone homes. Residents of Dulzura, in rural southeastern San Diego County, will be the first eligible, followed by nearby Potrero and Campo residents in 2023 and 2024. Click here if you are eligible and in need of such funds and wish to apply to the California Wildfire Mitigation Program.

For more information on how you can get a grant and learn about refinance programs, access our database & search engine here.

Christopher Charles spent 6 years in the mortgage industry before moving into the world of digital media. He's helped thousands of families buy and refinance real estate at banks and mortgage companies and now continues that mission through industry-leading content. Chris is known for his expertise in the mortgage & real estate industry and continues to produce content all over the web.

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