Does Medford, OR need an earthquake retrofit?

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, Medford is Category D. High seismic hazard - this is the category most of coastal California, the Pacific Northwest, and other active fault regions fall into. Code mandates significant seismic detailing and restricts irregular structural configurations. This is the category the Brace + Bolt scope (cripple-wall bracing, foundation bolting) is built for. That puts Medford in the 85th percentile nationally for seismic hazard - higher than 85% of the 4,875 US cities USGS was checked against here.

Medford by the numbers

USGS's underlying values for Medford: 0.293g peak ground acceleration, 0.621g at short period, 0.357g at 1 second. Within Oregon alone, Medford ranks 63 of 80 cities by seismic hazard - the 22th percentile in-state. Medford has a population of about 86,301.

Retrofit economics for Medford

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 Oregon 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 Oregon.

Insuring against this, not just retrofitting

A Medford 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 Medford's figures come from

Medford's Category D 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 D does and doesn't tell you about Medford.