Does Citrus Heights, CA need an earthquake retrofit?

Citrus Heights carries Seismic Design Category C under USGS's ASCE 7-16 model. 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 Citrus Heights in the 77th percentile nationally for seismic hazard - higher than 77% of the 4,875 US cities USGS was checked against here.

Where Citrus Heights sits in California

The raw figures: peak ground acceleration 0.187g, short-period spectral response 0.441g, 1-second spectral response 0.221g. Among 429 California cities in this dataset, Citrus Heights ranks 424 for seismic hazard, the 1th percentile within the state. About 86,909 people live in Citrus Heights, California.

Bracing and bolting: the actual cost

Because Citrus Heights is in California, the EBB grant applies if the ZIP code participates and the house qualifies (wood-framed house on a raised (not slab-on-grade) foundation, built before 1980): a $3,000-$7,000 bracing-and-bolting job drops to $0-$4,000 after the $3,000 base grant, or effectively free for income-eligible households getting the full $10,000.

Insuring against this, not just retrofitting

Earthquake coverage in California mostly runs through the California Earthquake Authority (CEA), sold only through licensed agents at CEA-participating insurers - there is no direct-to-consumer CEA policy. A general home-insurance quote is the practical starting point for a Citrus Heights homeowner asking about it.

More on how this number was built

The methodology guide covers exactly how USGS's public design-maps API produced Citrus Heights's numbers. The retrofit cost and grant guide covers every EBB eligibility rule, including the ones this page can't check.