Kingsport, TN: what USGS's seismic model says

USGS's ASCE 7-16 seismic design model - the same standard building codes use - places Kingsport in Seismic Design Category C: 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. Nationally, Kingsport ranks above 76% of the 4,875 cities in this dataset for seismic hazard - the 76th percentile.

Kingsport by the numbers

The raw figures: peak ground acceleration 0.177g, short-period spectral response 0.3g, 1-second spectral response 0.091g. Among 104 Tennessee cities in this dataset, Kingsport ranks 87 for seismic hazard, the 17th percentile within the state. About 57,109 people live in Kingsport, Tennessee.

Bracing and bolting: the actual cost

Outside California, no state-level retrofit grant equivalent to Brace + Bolt could be found for Tennessee. A typical retrofit still runs $5,000-$10,000 nationally, about $7,000 for a common single-family job.

Earthquake insurance for a Kingsport home

Outside California, earthquake coverage is typically sold as an endorsement added to a standard homeowners policy, not a separate product - worth asking about directly when getting a home-insurance quote for a Kingsport address.

More on how this number was built

The methodology guide covers exactly how USGS's public design-maps API produced Kingsport's numbers. The guide to what a Seismic Design Category actually means covers why a category is never a substitute for an engineer's assessment of one specific house.