Norcross, GA: what USGS's seismic model says

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, Norcross is Category C. Moderate seismic hazard. Code adds irregular-building restrictions and requires bracing of some nonstructural components (e.g. tall shelving, water heaters) in addition to structural detailing. That puts Norcross in the 69th percentile nationally for seismic hazard - higher than 69% of the 4,875 US cities USGS was checked against here.

Norcross by the numbers

The raw figures: peak ground acceleration 0.098g, short-period spectral response 0.194g, 1-second spectral response 0.087g. Among 148 Georgia cities in this dataset, Norcross ranks 68 for seismic hazard, the 54th percentile within the state. About 18,902 people live in Norcross, Georgia.

What a retrofit costs in Norcross

Outside California, no state-level retrofit grant equivalent to Brace + Bolt could be found for Georgia. A typical retrofit still runs $5,000-$10,000 nationally, about $7,000 for a common single-family job.

Insuring against this, not just retrofitting

Outside California, earthquake coverage is typically sold as an endorsement added to a standard homeowners policy, not a separate product - worth asking about directly when getting a home-insurance quote for a Norcross address.

More on how this number was built

The methodology guide covers exactly how USGS's public design-maps API produced Norcross's numbers. The guide to what a Seismic Design Category actually means covers why a category is never a substitute for an engineer's assessment of one specific house.