Does Glencoe, MN need an earthquake retrofit?

USGS's ASCE 7-16 seismic design model - the same standard building codes use - places Glencoe in Seismic Design Category A: Lowest seismic design category. Building code requires no seismic-specific detailing here beyond ordinary construction practice. Rank it against the rest of the country and Glencoe sits at the 7th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

Glencoe by the numbers

USGS's underlying values for Glencoe: 0.025g peak ground acceleration, 0.053g at short period, 0.03g at 1 second. Within Minnesota alone, Glencoe ranks 23 of 155 cities by seismic hazard - the 86th percentile in-state. Glencoe has a population of about 5,659.

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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota.

Earthquake insurance for a Glencoe home

A Glencoe 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 Glencoe's figures come from

Glencoe's Category A 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 A does and doesn't tell you about Glencoe.