Conway's Seismic Design Category, explained

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, Conway is Category D. High seismic hazard - this is the category most of coastal California, the Pacific Northwest, and other active fault regions fall into. Code mandates significant seismic detailing and restricts irregular structural configurations. This is the category the Brace + Bolt scope (cripple-wall bracing, foundation bolting) is built for. Rank it against the rest of the country and Conway sits at the 84th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

How Conway compares

USGS's underlying values for Conway: 0.272g peak ground acceleration, 0.462g at short period, 0.156g at 1 second. Within Arkansas alone, Conway ranks 22 of 68 cities by seismic hazard - the 69th percentile in-state. Conway has a population of about 70,711.

Bracing and bolting: the actual cost

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 Arkansas 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 Arkansas.

What this means for insurance

A Conway 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 Conway's figures come from

Conway's Category D 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 D does and doesn't tell you about Conway.