Lewiston, ME: what USGS's seismic model says

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, Lewiston is Category B. Low seismic hazard. Code requires basic seismic detailing (bracing, connections) but no special structural system restrictions. Nationally, Lewiston ranks above 66% of the 4,875 cities in this dataset for seismic hazard - the 66th percentile.

Lewiston by the numbers

The raw figures: peak ground acceleration 0.184g, short-period spectral response 0.305g, 1-second spectral response 0.076g. Among 20 Maine cities in this dataset, Lewiston ranks 7 for seismic hazard, the 68th percentile within the state. About 38,772 people live in Lewiston, Maine.

Bracing and bolting: the actual cost

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

Earthquake insurance for a Lewiston 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 Lewiston address.

More on how this number was built

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