Does Dayton, OH need an earthquake retrofit?

USGS's ASCE 7-16 seismic design model - the same standard building codes use - places Dayton 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 Dayton sits at the 49th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

How Dayton compares

USGS's underlying values for Dayton: 0.077g peak ground acceleration, 0.147g at short period, 0.071g at 1 second. Within Ohio alone, Dayton ranks 54 of 254 cities by seismic hazard - the 79th percentile in-state. Dayton has a population of about 136,346.

What a retrofit costs in Dayton

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 Ohio 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 Ohio.

Earthquake insurance for a Dayton home

A Dayton 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 Dayton's figures come from

Dayton'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 Dayton.