Dripping Springs, TX: what USGS's seismic model says

USGS's ASCE 7-16 seismic design model - the same standard building codes use - places Dripping Springs in Seismic Design Category A: Lowest seismic design category. Building code requires no seismic-specific detailing here beyond ordinary construction practice. That puts Dripping Springs in the 6th percentile nationally for seismic hazard - higher than 6% of the 4,875 US cities USGS was checked against here.

Where Dripping Springs sits in Texas

USGS's underlying values for Dripping Springs: 0.024g peak ground acceleration, 0.051g at short period, 0.029g at 1 second. Within Texas alone, Dripping Springs ranks 338 of 384 cities by seismic hazard - the 12th percentile in-state. Dripping Springs has a population of about 10,165.

Retrofit economics for Dripping Springs

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 Texas 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 Texas.

Insuring against this, not just retrofitting

A Dripping Springs 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 Dripping Springs's figures come from

Dripping Springs's Category A 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 A does and doesn't tell you about Dripping Springs.