Monroe, WA: what USGS's seismic model says

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, Monroe 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 Monroe in the 90th percentile nationally for seismic hazard - higher than 90% of the 4,875 US cities USGS was checked against here.

Where Monroe sits in Washington

USGS's underlying values for Monroe: 0.499g peak ground acceleration, 1.165g at short period, 0.41g at 1 second. Within Washington alone, Monroe ranks 68 of 125 cities by seismic hazard - the 46th percentile in-state. Monroe has a population of about 19,927.

Retrofit economics for Monroe

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 Washington 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 Washington.

Insuring against this, not just retrofitting

A Monroe 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 Monroe's figures come from

Monroe'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 Monroe.