Does Arlington Heights, IL need an earthquake retrofit?

Arlington Heights carries Seismic Design Category B under USGS's ASCE 7-16 model. Low seismic hazard. Code requires basic seismic detailing (bracing, connections) but no special structural system restrictions. Rank it against the rest of the country and Arlington Heights sits at the 36th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

Where Arlington Heights sits in Illinois

USGS's underlying values for Arlington Heights: 0.058g peak ground acceleration, 0.116g at short period, 0.061g at 1 second. Within Illinois alone, Arlington Heights ranks 255 of 330 cities by seismic hazard - the 23th percentile in-state. Arlington Heights has a population of about 75,596.

Bracing and bolting: the actual cost

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 Illinois 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 Illinois.

Earthquake insurance for a Arlington Heights home

A Arlington Heights 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 Arlington Heights's figures come from

Arlington Heights's Category B 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 B does and doesn't tell you about Arlington Heights.