Oklahoma City's Seismic Design Category, explained

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, Oklahoma City 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 Oklahoma City sits at the 67th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

Where Oklahoma City sits in Oklahoma

USGS's underlying values for Oklahoma City: 0.19g peak ground acceleration, 0.314g at short period, 0.082g at 1 second. Within Oklahoma alone, Oklahoma City ranks 18 of 75 cities by seismic hazard - the 77th percentile in-state. Oklahoma City has a population of about 712,919.

What a retrofit costs in Oklahoma City

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 Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma.

Insuring against this, not just retrofitting

A Oklahoma City 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 Oklahoma City's figures come from

Oklahoma City'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 Oklahoma City.