Exeter's Seismic Design Category, explained

Exeter carries Seismic Design Category C under USGS's ASCE 7-16 model. 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 Exeter sits at the 78th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

How Exeter compares

The raw figures: peak ground acceleration 0.223g, short-period spectral response 0.516g, 1-second spectral response 0.209g. Among 429 California cities in this dataset, Exeter ranks 416 for seismic hazard, the 3th percentile within the state. About 10,186 people live in Exeter, California.

Bracing and bolting: the actual cost

Because Exeter is in California, the EBB grant applies if the ZIP code participates and the house qualifies (wood-framed house on a raised (not slab-on-grade) foundation, built before 1980): a $3,000-$7,000 bracing-and-bolting job drops to $0-$4,000 after the $3,000 base grant, or effectively free for income-eligible households getting the full $10,000.

What this means for insurance

Earthquake coverage in California mostly runs through the California Earthquake Authority (CEA), sold only through licensed agents at CEA-participating insurers - there is no direct-to-consumer CEA policy. A general home-insurance quote is the practical starting point for a Exeter homeowner asking about it.

More on how this number was built

The methodology guide covers exactly how USGS's public design-maps API produced Exeter's numbers. The retrofit cost and grant guide covers every EBB eligibility rule, including the ones this page can't check.