Milltown's Seismic Design Category, explained

USGS's ASCE 7-16 seismic design model - the same standard building codes use - places Milltown in Seismic Design 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 Milltown sits at the 62th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

Where Milltown sits in New Jersey

USGS's underlying values for Milltown: 0.153g peak ground acceleration, 0.255g at short period, 0.056g at 1 second. Within New Jersey alone, Milltown ranks 122 of 194 cities by seismic hazard - the 37th percentile in-state. Milltown has a population of about 7,170.

Retrofit economics for Milltown

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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey.

What this means for insurance

A Milltown 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 Milltown's figures come from

Milltown'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 Milltown.