Highland, UT: what USGS's seismic model says

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, Highland is Category D. High seismic hazard - this is the category most of coastal California, the Pacific Northwest, and other active fault regions fall into. Code mandates significant seismic detailing and restricts irregular structural configurations. This is the category the Brace + Bolt scope (cripple-wall bracing, foundation bolting) is built for. That puts Highland in the 93th percentile nationally for seismic hazard - higher than 93% of the 4,875 US cities USGS was checked against here.

Highland by the numbers

USGS's underlying values for Highland: 0.62g peak ground acceleration, 1.365g at short period, 0.506g at 1 second. Within Utah alone, Highland ranks 30 of 95 cities by seismic hazard - the 69th percentile in-state. Highland has a population of about 21,146.

What a retrofit costs in Highland

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 Utah 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 Utah.

What this means for insurance

A Highland 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 Highland's figures come from

Highland's Category D 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 D does and doesn't tell you about Highland.