Clayton's Seismic Design Category, explained

Clayton carries Seismic Design Category B under USGS's ASCE 7-16 model. 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 Clayton sits at the 52th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

Clayton by the numbers

USGS's underlying values for Clayton: 0.087g peak ground acceleration, 0.161g at short period, 0.045g at 1 second. Within New Jersey alone, Clayton ranks 179 of 194 cities by seismic hazard - the 8th percentile in-state. Clayton has a population of about 9,016.

Retrofit economics for Clayton

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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey.

Insuring against this, not just retrofitting

A Clayton 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 Clayton's figures come from

Clayton'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 Clayton.