Brainerd, MN: what USGS's seismic model says

USGS's ASCE 7-16 seismic design model - the same standard building codes use - places Brainerd in Seismic Design Category A: Lowest seismic design category. Building code requires no seismic-specific detailing here beyond ordinary construction practice. Nationally, Brainerd ranks above 8% of the 4,875 cities in this dataset for seismic hazard - the 8th percentile.

How Brainerd compares

USGS's underlying values for Brainerd: 0.026g peak ground acceleration, 0.054g at short period, 0.018g at 1 second. Within Minnesota alone, Brainerd ranks 15 of 155 cities by seismic hazard - the 91th percentile in-state. Brainerd has a population of about 14,400.

Retrofit economics for Brainerd

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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota.

Insuring against this, not just retrofitting

A Brainerd 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 Brainerd's figures come from

Brainerd's Category A 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 A does and doesn't tell you about Brainerd.