Litchfield Park's Seismic Design Category, explained

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, Litchfield Park is Category B. Low seismic hazard. Code requires basic seismic detailing (bracing, connections) but no special structural system restrictions. Rank it against the rest of the country and Litchfield Park sits at the 49th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

Where Litchfield Park sits in Arizona

USGS's underlying values for Litchfield Park: 0.078g peak ground acceleration, 0.177g at short period, 0.073g at 1 second. Within Arizona alone, Litchfield Park ranks 50 of 57 cities by seismic hazard - the 13th percentile in-state. Litchfield Park has a population of about 6,863.

What a retrofit costs in Litchfield Park

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 Arizona 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 Arizona.

Insuring against this, not just retrofitting

A Litchfield Park 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 Litchfield Park's figures come from

Litchfield Park's Category B 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 B does and doesn't tell you about Litchfield Park.