Gaffney, SC: what USGS's seismic model says

Gaffney carries Seismic Design Category C under USGS's ASCE 7-16 model. 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 Gaffney sits at the 73th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

How Gaffney compares

USGS's underlying values for Gaffney: 0.131g peak ground acceleration, 0.243g at short period, 0.088g at 1 second. Within South Carolina alone, Gaffney ranks 60 of 66 cities by seismic hazard - the 9th percentile in-state. Gaffney has a population of about 12,546.

What a retrofit costs in Gaffney

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 South Carolina 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 South Carolina.

Earthquake insurance for a Gaffney home

A Gaffney 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 Gaffney's figures come from

Gaffney'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 Gaffney.