House foundation anchors?

Factual Questions
1

I want to know if my house has foundation anchors, this being a requirement for getting earthquake insurance.

  1. Can I tell by looking at the foundation, and if so, what am I looking for?
  2. If I can’t tell by looking, how would I find out?
  3. If I don’t have them, what sort of contractor would do this work, and how can I evaluate what it should cost?

You are, individually and collectively, a delightful font of knowledge. Thank you.

2

What you are looking for is a series of anchors which are rated for and installed in accordance with the applicable building code applicable for your location. Many variables exist, including spacing, installation, and other details which could prove difficult for the layperson to determine. A structural engineer can offer an evaluation along with a schedule of corrective measures to meet current standards, and may or not be able to offer a ballpark idea of the remediative costs.

3

This is only from observing my own house, which got bolted to its foundation after 1989 (house is in Bay Area).

You have to go under and look.

In this house, there is a concrete foundation that makes a rectangle directly under all the exterior walls of the house. This is what the walls sit on. The top of the concrete is 5 or 6 inches wide. Lying on top of the concrete foundation is wood (2x4s? 3x6s?), and rising vertically from that are 2x4 studs. The studs go up to floor level and disappear.

To retrofit it, the contractor drilled through the horizontal wood into the concrete and put bolts in, that some way lock into the concrete. Also, there are steel straps that come down from the studs and bend over the inside of the concrete and are also bolted to that.

The idea is, if an earthquake causes the ground to suddenly go north and south for many seconds, moving the foundation with it, the house will also have to go north & south, sticking with the foundations, and won’t find itself hanging over thin air.

I can’t speak for houses with slab foundations, or built originally with anchoring up to code.