Does Bend, OR need an earthquake retrofit?

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, Bend is Category D. 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 Bend sits at the 81th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

Bend by the numbers

USGS's underlying values for Bend: 0.171g peak ground acceleration, 0.378g at short period, 0.197g at 1 second. Within Oregon alone, Bend ranks 72 of 80 cities by seismic hazard - the 10th percentile in-state. Bend has a population of about 106,926.

What a retrofit costs in Bend

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 Oregon 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 Oregon.

Earthquake insurance for a Bend home

A Bend 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 Bend's figures come from

Bend'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 Bend.