Foley's Seismic Design Category, explained

Foley carries Seismic Design Category B under USGS's ASCE 7-16 model. Low seismic hazard. Code requires basic seismic detailing (bracing, connections) but no special structural system restrictions. Rank it against the rest of the country and Foley sits at the 22th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

Where Foley sits in Alabama

USGS's underlying values for Foley: 0.041g peak ground acceleration, 0.085g at short period, 0.056g at 1 second. Within Alabama alone, Foley ranks 102 of 107 cities by seismic hazard - the 5th percentile in-state. Foley has a population of about 28,043.

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 Alabama 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 Alabama.

What this means for insurance

A Foley 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 Foley's figures come from

Foley'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 Foley.