Does Farragut, TN need an earthquake retrofit?

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, Farragut 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 Farragut in the 88th percentile nationally for seismic hazard - higher than 88% of the 4,875 US cities USGS was checked against here.

How Farragut compares

USGS's underlying values for Farragut: 0.433g peak ground acceleration, 0.636g at short period, 0.136g at 1 second. Within Tennessee alone, Farragut ranks 24 of 104 cities by seismic hazard - the 78th percentile in-state. Farragut has a population of about 25,242.

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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee.

Earthquake insurance for a Farragut home

A Farragut 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 Farragut's figures come from

Farragut'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 Farragut.