Jeffersontown, KY: what USGS's seismic model says

Jeffersontown carries Seismic Design Category C under USGS's ASCE 7-16 model. Moderate seismic hazard. Code adds irregular-building restrictions and requires bracing of some nonstructural components (e.g. tall shelving, water heaters) in addition to structural detailing. Rank it against the rest of the country and Jeffersontown sits at the 68th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

Jeffersontown by the numbers

USGS's underlying values for Jeffersontown: 0.09g peak ground acceleration, 0.186g at short period, 0.096g at 1 second. Within Kentucky alone, Jeffersontown ranks 33 of 79 cities by seismic hazard - the 59th percentile in-state. Jeffersontown has a population of about 29,388.

What a retrofit costs in Jeffersontown

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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky.

Insuring against this, not just retrofitting

A Jeffersontown 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 Jeffersontown's figures come from

Jeffersontown's Category C 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 C does and doesn't tell you about Jeffersontown.