Lancaster, SC: what USGS's seismic model says

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, Lancaster is 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, Lancaster ranks above 74% of the 4,875 cities in this dataset for seismic hazard - the 74th percentile.

Where Lancaster sits in South Carolina

The raw figures: peak ground acceleration 0.14g, short-period spectral response 0.26g, 1-second spectral response 0.095g. Among 66 South Carolina cities in this dataset, Lancaster ranks 57 for seismic hazard, the 14th percentile within the state. About 9,396 people live in Lancaster, South Carolina.

What a retrofit costs in Lancaster

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

Insuring against this, not just retrofitting

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 Lancaster address.

More on how this number was built

The methodology guide covers exactly how USGS's public design-maps API produced Lancaster'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.