Bullhead City, AZ: what USGS's seismic model says

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, Bullhead City is Category C. Moderate seismic hazard. Code adds irregular-building restrictions and requires bracing of some nonstructural components (e.g. tall shelving, water heaters) in addition to structural detailing. That puts Bullhead City in the 71th percentile nationally for seismic hazard - higher than 71% of the 4,875 US cities USGS was checked against here.

How Bullhead City compares

USGS's underlying values for Bullhead City: 0.111g peak ground acceleration, 0.253g at short period, 0.118g at 1 second. Within Arizona alone, Bullhead City ranks 18 of 57 cities by seismic hazard - the 70th percentile in-state. Bullhead City has a population of about 43,266.

Retrofit economics for Bullhead City

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 Arizona 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 Arizona.

What this means for insurance

A Bullhead City 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 Bullhead City's figures come from

Bullhead City's Category C 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 C does and doesn't tell you about Bullhead City.