Eau Claire, WI: what USGS's seismic model says

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, Eau Claire is Category A. Lowest seismic design category. Building code requires no seismic-specific detailing here beyond ordinary construction practice. Nationally, Eau Claire ranks above 4% of the 4,875 cities in this dataset for seismic hazard - the 4th percentile.

How Eau Claire compares

USGS's underlying values for Eau Claire: 0.022g peak ground acceleration, 0.045g at short period, 0.033g at 1 second. Within Wisconsin alone, Eau Claire ranks 139 of 157 cities by seismic hazard - the 12th percentile in-state. Eau Claire has a population of about 72,331.

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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin.

Insuring against this, not just retrofitting

A Eau Claire 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 Eau Claire's figures come from

Eau Claire'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 Eau Claire.