Does Burlingame, CA need an earthquake retrofit?

USGS's ASCE 7-16 seismic model can't even fit Burlingame onto its standard code table - ground motion here (peak ground acceleration 0.882g) is past what the table covers, which under §11.4.8 means a site-specific geotechnical study, not a standard letter grade. That puts Burlingame in the 99th percentile nationally for seismic hazard - higher than 99% of the 4,875 US cities USGS was checked against here.

Burlingame by the numbers

USGS's underlying values for Burlingame: 0.882g peak ground acceleration, 2.057g at short period, 0.851g at 1 second. Within California alone, Burlingame ranks 51 of 429 cities by seismic hazard - the 88th percentile in-state. Burlingame has a population of about 30,885.

What a retrofit costs in Burlingame

Cripple-wall bracing and foundation bolting - the scope California's Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB) grant funds - typically runs $3,000-$7,000 nationally. Every qualifying household gets a $3,000 base grant, which brings that down to $0-$4,000 out of pocket; income-eligible households ($89,040/year or under) can get up to $10,000 total, covering the retrofit outright in most cases.

What this means for insurance

Burlingame sits in CEA territory, but CEA earthquake coverage is agent-sold only, never direct - so the real first step for a homeowner here is a standard home-insurance quote, then asking that agent about CEA specifically.

Where Burlingame's figures come from

Burlingame's Category rating and every number above trace to USGS's own ASCE 7-16 Design Maps service - see the methodology guide. Full Brace + Bolt eligibility rules - beyond what this page can check from a ZIP code alone - are in the retrofit cost and grant guide.