Franklin Town's Seismic Design Category, explained

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, Franklin Town is Category B. Low seismic hazard. Code requires basic seismic detailing (bracing, connections) but no special structural system restrictions. That puts Franklin Town in the 59th percentile nationally for seismic hazard - higher than 59% of the 4,875 US cities USGS was checked against here.

Franklin Town by the numbers

USGS's underlying values for Franklin Town: 0.118g peak ground acceleration, 0.212g at short period, 0.058g at 1 second. Within Massachusetts alone, Franklin Town ranks 36 of 58 cities by seismic hazard - the 39th percentile in-state. Franklin Town has a population of about 33,742.

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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts.

Insuring against this, not just retrofitting

A Franklin Town 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 Franklin Town's figures come from

Franklin Town'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 Franklin Town.