Hobart's Seismic Design Category, explained

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, Hobart is 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 Hobart sits at the 6th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

How Hobart compares

USGS's underlying values for Hobart: 0.024g peak ground acceleration, 0.051g at short period, 0.036g at 1 second. Within Wisconsin alone, Hobart ranks 134 of 157 cities by seismic hazard - the 15th percentile in-state. Hobart has a population of about 10,876.

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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin.

Earthquake insurance for a Hobart home

A Hobart 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 Hobart's figures come from

Hobart'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 Hobart.