Ontario, OR: what USGS's seismic model says

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, Ontario 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. Nationally, Ontario ranks above 74% of the 4,875 cities in this dataset for seismic hazard - the 74th percentile.

Ontario by the numbers

The raw figures: peak ground acceleration 0.139g, short-period spectral response 0.311g, 1-second spectral response 0.112g. Among 80 Oregon cities in this dataset, Ontario ranks 80 for seismic hazard, the 0th percentile within the state. About 11,957 people live in Ontario, Oregon.

Retrofit economics for Ontario

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

Earthquake insurance for a Ontario home

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 Ontario address.

More on how this number was built

The methodology guide covers exactly how USGS's public design-maps API produced Ontario'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.