Does Auburn, CA need an earthquake retrofit?

Auburn carries Seismic Design Category C under USGS's ASCE 7-16 model. 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. Rank it against the rest of the country and Auburn sits at the 77th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

Where Auburn sits in California

The raw figures: peak ground acceleration 0.202g, short-period spectral response 0.483g, 1-second spectral response 0.228g. Among 429 California cities in this dataset, Auburn ranks 420 for seismic hazard, the 2th percentile within the state. About 13,780 people live in Auburn, California.

Retrofit economics for Auburn

Because Auburn is in California, the EBB grant applies if the ZIP code participates and the house qualifies (wood-framed house on a raised (not slab-on-grade) foundation, built before 1980): a $3,000-$7,000 bracing-and-bolting job drops to $0-$4,000 after the $3,000 base grant, or effectively free for income-eligible households getting the full $10,000.

Insuring against this, not just retrofitting

Earthquake coverage in California mostly runs through the California Earthquake Authority (CEA), sold only through licensed agents at CEA-participating insurers - there is no direct-to-consumer CEA policy. A general home-insurance quote is the practical starting point for a Auburn homeowner asking about it.

More on how this number was built

The methodology guide covers exactly how USGS's public design-maps API produced Auburn's numbers. The retrofit cost and grant guide covers every EBB eligibility rule, including the ones this page can't check.