Does Hoquiam, WA need an earthquake retrofit?

USGS's ASCE 7-16 seismic design model - the same standard building codes use - places Hoquiam in Seismic Design 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. Nationally, Hoquiam ranks above 96% of the 4,875 cities in this dataset for seismic hazard - the 96th percentile.

Where Hoquiam sits in Washington

USGS's underlying values for Hoquiam: 0.733g peak ground acceleration, 1.531g at short period, 0.711g at 1 second. Within Washington alone, Hoquiam ranks 2 of 125 cities by seismic hazard - the 99th percentile in-state. Hoquiam has a population of about 8,771.

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 Washington 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 Washington.

Earthquake insurance for a Hoquiam home

A Hoquiam 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 Hoquiam's figures come from

Hoquiam'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 Hoquiam.