Does Casper, WY need an earthquake retrofit?

USGS's ASCE 7-16 seismic design model - the same standard building codes use - places Casper in Seismic Design Category B: Low seismic hazard. Code requires basic seismic detailing (bracing, connections) but no special structural system restrictions. Rank it against the rest of the country and Casper sits at the 66th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

Casper by the numbers

USGS's underlying values for Casper: 0.186g peak ground acceleration, 0.313g at short period, 0.072g at 1 second. Within Wyoming alone, Casper ranks 11 of 16 cities by seismic hazard - the 33th percentile in-state. Casper has a population of about 58,823.

Retrofit economics for Casper

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 Wyoming 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 Wyoming.

Insuring against this, not just retrofitting

A Casper 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 Casper's figures come from

Casper's Category B 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 B does and doesn't tell you about Casper.