Brownfield's Seismic Design Category, explained

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, Brownfield is Category A. Lowest seismic design category. Building code requires no seismic-specific detailing here beyond ordinary construction practice. Rank it against the rest of the country and Brownfield sits at the 13th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

How Brownfield compares

USGS's underlying values for Brownfield: 0.037g peak ground acceleration, 0.079g at short period, 0.029g at 1 second. Within Texas alone, Brownfield ranks 212 of 384 cities by seismic hazard - the 45th percentile in-state. Brownfield has a population of about 8,682.

What a retrofit costs in Brownfield

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 Brownfield home

A Brownfield 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 Brownfield's figures come from

Brownfield'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 Brownfield.