Brush's Seismic Design Category, explained

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, Brush is Category A. Lowest seismic design category. Building code requires no seismic-specific detailing here beyond ordinary construction practice. That puts Brush in the 14th percentile nationally for seismic hazard - higher than 14% of the 4,875 US cities USGS was checked against here.

Brush by the numbers

USGS's underlying values for Brush: 0.049g peak ground acceleration, 0.104g at short period, 0.041g at 1 second. Within Colorado alone, Brush ranks 78 of 79 cities by seismic hazard - the 1th percentile in-state. Brush has a population of about 5,370.

What a retrofit costs in Brush

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 Colorado 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 Colorado.

What this means for insurance

A Brush 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 Brush's figures come from

Brush'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 Brush.