Chestertown, MD: what USGS's seismic model says

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, Chestertown is Category B. Low seismic hazard. Code requires basic seismic detailing (bracing, connections) but no special structural system restrictions. Nationally, Chestertown ranks above 46% of the 4,875 cities in this dataset for seismic hazard - the 46th percentile.

How Chestertown compares

The raw figures: peak ground acceleration 0.072g, short-period spectral response 0.137g, 1-second spectral response 0.042g. Among 46 Maryland cities in this dataset, Chestertown ranks 9 for seismic hazard, the 82th percentile within the state. About 5,702 people live in Chestertown, Maryland.

Retrofit economics for Chestertown

Outside California, no state-level retrofit grant equivalent to Brace + Bolt could be found for Maryland. A typical retrofit still runs $5,000-$10,000 nationally, about $7,000 for a common single-family job.

Earthquake insurance for a Chestertown home

Outside California, earthquake coverage is typically sold as an endorsement added to a standard homeowners policy, not a separate product - worth asking about directly when getting a home-insurance quote for a Chestertown address.

More on how this number was built

The methodology guide covers exactly how USGS's public design-maps API produced Chestertown's numbers. The guide to what a Seismic Design Category actually means covers why a category is never a substitute for an engineer's assessment of one specific house.