Mount Kisco's Seismic Design Category, explained

USGS's ASCE 7-16 seismic design model - the same standard building codes use - places Mount Kisco 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 Mount Kisco sits at the 64th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

Mount Kisco by the numbers

USGS's underlying values for Mount Kisco: 0.172g peak ground acceleration, 0.282g at short period, 0.061g at 1 second. Within New York alone, Mount Kisco ranks 44 of 170 cities by seismic hazard - the 75th percentile in-state. Mount Kisco has a population of about 10,698.

Retrofit economics for Mount Kisco

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 York 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 York.

Insuring against this, not just retrofitting

A Mount Kisco 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 Kisco's figures come from

Mount Kisco'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 Kisco.