North Caldwell's Seismic Design Category, explained

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, North Caldwell is 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 North Caldwell sits at the 64th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

North Caldwell by the numbers

USGS's underlying values for North Caldwell: 0.175g peak ground acceleration, 0.284g at short period, 0.06g at 1 second. Within New Jersey alone, North Caldwell ranks 73 of 194 cities by seismic hazard - the 63th percentile in-state. North Caldwell has a population of about 6,769.

What a retrofit costs in North Caldwell

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 Jersey 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 Jersey.

Insuring against this, not just retrofitting

A North Caldwell 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 North Caldwell's figures come from

North Caldwell'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 North Caldwell.