Gardner's Seismic Design Category, explained

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, Gardner is Category B. Low seismic hazard. Code requires basic seismic detailing (bracing, connections) but no special structural system restrictions. Nationally, Gardner ranks above 62% of the 4,875 cities in this dataset for seismic hazard - the 62th percentile.

Where Gardner sits in Massachusetts

The raw figures: peak ground acceleration 0.149g, short-period spectral response 0.256g, 1-second spectral response 0.066g. Among 58 Massachusetts cities in this dataset, Gardner ranks 28 for seismic hazard, the 53th percentile within the state. About 21,381 people live in Gardner, Massachusetts.

Bracing and bolting: the actual cost

Outside California, no state-level retrofit grant equivalent to Brace + Bolt could be found for Massachusetts. A typical retrofit still runs $5,000-$10,000 nationally, about $7,000 for a common single-family job.

Earthquake insurance for a Gardner home

Outside California, earthquake coverage is typically sold as an endorsement added to a standard homeowners policy, not a separate product - worth asking about directly when getting a home-insurance quote for a Gardner address.

More on how this number was built

The methodology guide covers exactly how USGS's public design-maps API produced Gardner's numbers. The guide to what a Seismic Design Category actually means covers why a category is never a substitute for an engineer's assessment of one specific house.