Elizabethtown's Seismic Design Category, explained

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, Elizabethtown is Category C. Moderate seismic hazard. Code adds irregular-building restrictions and requires bracing of some nonstructural components (e.g. tall shelving, water heaters) in addition to structural detailing. Rank it against the rest of the country and Elizabethtown sits at the 69th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

How Elizabethtown compares

USGS's underlying values for Elizabethtown: 0.096g peak ground acceleration, 0.2g at short period, 0.107g at 1 second. Within Kentucky alone, Elizabethtown ranks 24 of 79 cities by seismic hazard - the 71th percentile in-state. Elizabethtown has a population of about 34,565.

Retrofit economics for Elizabethtown

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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky.

Insuring against this, not just retrofitting

A Elizabethtown 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 Elizabethtown's figures come from

Elizabethtown's Category C 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 C does and doesn't tell you about Elizabethtown.