Mount Horeb's Seismic Design Category, explained

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, Mount Horeb is Category B. Low seismic hazard. Code requires basic seismic detailing (bracing, connections) but no special structural system restrictions. That puts Mount Horeb in the 18th percentile nationally for seismic hazard - higher than 18% of the 4,875 US cities USGS was checked against here.

How Mount Horeb compares

USGS's underlying values for Mount Horeb: 0.036g peak ground acceleration, 0.074g at short period, 0.048g at 1 second. Within Wisconsin alone, Mount Horeb ranks 60 of 157 cities by seismic hazard - the 62th percentile in-state. Mount Horeb has a population of about 7,803.

Retrofit economics for Mount Horeb

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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin.

Insuring against this, not just retrofitting

A Mount Horeb 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 Mount Horeb's figures come from

Mount Horeb'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 Mount Horeb.