New Castle's Seismic Design Category, explained

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, New Castle is Category B. Low seismic hazard. Code requires basic seismic detailing (bracing, connections) but no special structural system restrictions. That puts New Castle in the 49th percentile nationally for seismic hazard - higher than 49% of the 4,875 US cities USGS was checked against here.

How New Castle compares

USGS's underlying values for New Castle: 0.076g peak ground acceleration, 0.152g at short period, 0.077g at 1 second. Within Indiana alone, New Castle ranks 60 of 126 cities by seismic hazard - the 53th percentile in-state. New Castle has a population of about 17,382.

What a retrofit costs in New Castle

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 Indiana 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 Indiana.

What this means for insurance

A New Castle 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 New Castle's figures come from

New Castle'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 New Castle.