Fort Smith, AR: what USGS's seismic model says

USGS's ASCE 7-16 seismic design model - the same standard building codes use - places Fort Smith in Seismic Design Category C: 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 Fort Smith sits at the 67th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

Where Fort Smith sits in Arkansas

USGS's underlying values for Fort Smith: 0.076g peak ground acceleration, 0.159g at short period, 0.087g at 1 second. Within Arkansas alone, Fort Smith ranks 50 of 68 cities by seismic hazard - the 27th percentile in-state. Fort Smith has a population of about 90,507.

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 Arkansas 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 Arkansas.

Earthquake insurance for a Fort Smith home

A Fort Smith 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 Fort Smith's figures come from

Fort Smith's Category C 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 C does and doesn't tell you about Fort Smith.