Alabaster's Seismic Design Category, explained

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, Alabaster is Category C. Moderate seismic hazard. Code adds irregular-building restrictions and requires bracing of some nonstructural components (e.g. tall shelving, water heaters) in addition to structural detailing. Nationally, Alabaster ranks above 76% of the 4,875 cities in this dataset for seismic hazard - the 76th percentile.

Alabaster by the numbers

USGS's underlying values for Alabaster: 0.171g peak ground acceleration, 0.289g at short period, 0.097g at 1 second. Within Alabama alone, Alabaster ranks 22 of 107 cities by seismic hazard - the 80th percentile in-state. Alabaster has a population of about 34,460.

What a retrofit costs in Alabaster

A full earthquake retrofit typically runs $5,000-$10,000 nationally (around $7,000 typical), driven mainly by house size and foundation type, not by Alabama specifically. California's Earthquake Brace + Bolt grant, which covers a large share of this cost, is a California-only program and does not apply in Alabama.

Insuring against this, not just retrofitting

A Alabaster homeowner cannot buy a standalone earthquake policy in most cases - it is added to an existing homeowners policy as an endorsement, so the place to start is a regular home-insurance quote.

Where Alabaster's figures come from

Alabaster's Category C and every number above trace to USGS's own ASCE 7-16 Design Maps service - see the methodology guide. See the category explainer for what Category C does and doesn't tell you about Alabaster.