El Mirage's Seismic Design Category, explained

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, El Mirage is 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 El Mirage sits at the 51th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

El Mirage by the numbers

USGS's underlying values for El Mirage: 0.082g peak ground acceleration, 0.188g at short period, 0.073g at 1 second. Within Arizona alone, El Mirage ranks 45 of 57 cities by seismic hazard - the 21th percentile in-state. El Mirage has a population of about 36,468.

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 Arizona 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 Arizona.

What this means for insurance

A El Mirage 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 El Mirage's figures come from

El Mirage'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 El Mirage.