Farmington Hills's Seismic Design Category, explained

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, Farmington Hills is Category B. Low seismic hazard. Code requires basic seismic detailing (bracing, connections) but no special structural system restrictions. Nationally, Farmington Hills ranks above 28% of the 4,875 cities in this dataset for seismic hazard - the 28th percentile.

Where Farmington Hills sits in Michigan

USGS's underlying values for Farmington Hills: 0.047g peak ground acceleration, 0.096g at short period, 0.045g at 1 second. Within Michigan alone, Farmington Hills ranks 71 of 153 cities by seismic hazard - the 54th percentile in-state. Farmington Hills has a population of about 84,173.

Retrofit economics for Farmington Hills

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 Michigan 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 Michigan.

Insuring against this, not just retrofitting

A Farmington Hills 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 Farmington Hills's figures come from

Farmington Hills'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 Farmington Hills.