Does Bastrop, LA need an earthquake retrofit?

Bastrop 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. That puts Bastrop in the 67th percentile nationally for seismic hazard - higher than 67% of the 4,875 US cities USGS was checked against here.

Where Bastrop sits in Louisiana

USGS's underlying values for Bastrop: 0.073g peak ground acceleration, 0.151g at short period, 0.086g at 1 second. Within Louisiana alone, Bastrop ranks 1 of 59 cities by seismic hazard - the 100th percentile in-state. Bastrop has a population of about 8,922.

Retrofit economics for Bastrop

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 Louisiana 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 Louisiana.

Earthquake insurance for a Bastrop home

A Bastrop 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 Bastrop's figures come from

Bastrop'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 Bastrop.