Eugene's Seismic Design Category, explained

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, Eugene is Category D. High seismic hazard - this is the category most of coastal California, the Pacific Northwest, and other active fault regions fall into. Code mandates significant seismic detailing and restricts irregular structural configurations. This is the category the Brace + Bolt scope (cripple-wall bracing, foundation bolting) is built for. That puts Eugene in the 86th percentile nationally for seismic hazard - higher than 86% of the 4,875 US cities USGS was checked against here.

How Eugene compares

USGS's underlying values for Eugene: 0.342g peak ground acceleration, 0.718g at short period, 0.409g at 1 second. Within Oregon alone, Eugene ranks 53 of 80 cities by seismic hazard - the 34th percentile in-state. Eugene has a population of about 178,786.

What a retrofit costs in Eugene

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 Oregon 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 Oregon.

What this means for insurance

A Eugene 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 Eugene's figures come from

Eugene's Category D 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 D does and doesn't tell you about Eugene.