Arlington, WA: what USGS's seismic model says

Arlington carries Seismic Design Category D under USGS's ASCE 7-16 model. High seismic hazard - this is the category most of coastal California, the Pacific Northwest, and other active fault regions fall into. Code mandates significant seismic detailing and restricts irregular structural configurations. This is the category the Brace + Bolt scope (cripple-wall bracing, foundation bolting) is built for. Rank it against the rest of the country and Arlington sits at the 89th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

Arlington by the numbers

USGS's underlying values for Arlington: 0.444g peak ground acceleration, 1.047g at short period, 0.374g at 1 second. Within Washington alone, Arlington ranks 79 of 125 cities by seismic hazard - the 37th percentile in-state. Arlington has a population of about 21,959.

Retrofit economics for Arlington

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 Washington 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 Washington.

Earthquake insurance for a Arlington home

A Arlington 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's figures come from

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