Bedford's Seismic Design Category, explained

Bedford 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 Bedford sits at the 28th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

Bedford by the numbers

USGS's underlying values for Bedford: 0.047g peak ground acceleration, 0.097g at short period, 0.053g at 1 second. Within Texas alone, Bedford ranks 108 of 384 cities by seismic hazard - the 72th percentile in-state. Bedford has a population of about 48,728.

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 Texas 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 Texas.

Earthquake insurance for a Bedford home

A Bedford 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 Bedford's figures come from

Bedford'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 Bedford.